Scálaí Dragón
by ItalianCrybaby
Summary: Arthur Kirkland comes from a long line of chivalrous Knights. He hopes to live up to his family's lineage and slay a Dragon. But will all that change when he meets a Dragon who makes him question the morals he was raised to believe in? Knight!Arthur x Dragon!Alfred. (And side pairings.) Written with YamiyoDarknight
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there reader. I'm very excited to tell you that this is a collab story that Yamiyo. Darknight and I have been working on together. The title of this story "Scálaí Dragón" is Gaelic for Dragon Scales (which is really fitting to our story). n_n**

** Yamiyo. Darknight is Alfred and all of the future Dragon characters that will appear later on in the story while I am Arthur and all of the future Knights that will appear later in the story.**

**Neither of us owns Hetalia.**

* * *

Arthur Kirkland was known to be the most chivalrous man in the Kingdom of Hetalia. He held nobility to a high standard; always being the first Knight to uphold one's convictions. Many citizens saw Arthur as old fashioned. But he never paid mind to what these people thought if him.

Arthur had come from a long line of virtuous knights and was taught, what his father called, the True Code of Chivalry at a young age. His father and his father's father were well known for their courageous escapades and narrow escape from death against deadly dragons. Arthur wished to be just as knightly as them. The only problem was that Arthur was never good at combat. Thankfully, what Arthur lacked in combat he made up for in magical spells and potions.

Over the years humans have tried to perfect the art of casting spells and potion brewing. Only the most skilled potion masters had become Healers while spell casters were permitted to serve as the King's Guards. To master both skills earned a person knighthood. This was because knights needed to be able to use spells to aid them in combat and knowledge of potion making to brew healing elixirs in dire situations.

Arthur's skills in spell casting and potion making excelled high and beyond any others who practiced in these fields. He invented many new spells that helped the kings army expand and become more experienced with magic. Not to mention his healing elixir was the most powerful one ever created. Arthur had been offered the role as the King's highest ranking Magician but he kindly declined. He wished to follow his family's linage and earn a name for himself in the battlefield. He hoped to gain honor and glory by slaying one of the many dragons that threatened their town and way of living.

The other Knights, especially his dear "friend" Francis, loved to tease Arthur about his features. He was too slender and no matter how hard he trained, he never seemed to gain any muscles. His messy blond hair earned him the title as mop head and his bushy eyebrows... oh don't even get him started on the eyebrow comments… These jokes aggravated the young knight to no end. They annoyed Arthur to the point where he felt like he just had to get away from everyone.

So here he was with his skittish horse, Rhubarb, in a secluded area deep within the forest. It was a peaceful place for Arthur and he used this time to gather herbs for his potions.

Rhubarb whined for the fifth time that afternoon and bobbed his head trying to get Arthur's attention.

"Would you just wait another moment?! I swear, you are the most impatient animal I have ever known." Arthur said exasperatedly. He was trying to determine which herbs he needed to make a Sleeping Draught.

Rhubarb continued to neigh loudly and nudged Arthur's shoulder. "Bloody hell. Why are acting so bothersome toda…" just then a loud crack of thunder caused Arthur to jump. He looked up to find dark storm clouds above him. Damn! How could he have missed that? The sky was blue only moments ago. Not wanting to get stuck in the storm, Arthur mounted his horse and snapped the reigns. Rhubarb bolted forward. The clouds rumbled loudly over head. Rhubarb tossed his head back and forth in fear at every clap of thunder. A bolt of lightning shot a tree branch down in front of their path and caught fire. The skittish horse raised itself on its hind legs before lunging itself in a different direction. This caused Arthur to lose his grip of the reigns and fall off.

Arthur felt a sharp pain on the back of his head when hitting the ground. He stood up shakily. The fall made him feel disoriented and everything blurred together. He smelled smoke and it was beginning to get difficult to breathe. "Rhubarb… you cowardly animal… get back here!" Arthur called out weakly. His head throbbed and he could feel himself losing consciousness. Arthur stumbled to the ground not knowing how to get out of this mess. Before everything went black, Arthur saw a large dark figure coming towards him.

* * *

Alfred was a curious young dragon that liked to investigate anything that puzzled him. A new species of creature in his territory, he had to find out what it was. New plant or food? He had to taste it. He had to learn about everything.

Now there was a specific creature he wanted to know everything about. They were curious things and were never the same. They were lively and creative and they knew magic and potions. Humans. Humans were amazing. And deadly. And magical.

Now he'd stumbled across one. Unconscious and probably hurt, but still alive. His blue eyes widened with wonder and shined brightly. He had to help him.  
He paused and wondered how to take this human to his home. He carefully scooped the being into his jaws and spread his wings and took off into the air, flying back to his cavern.

The young Knight awoke feeling slightly dazed. What had happened? Where was he? And… oh bollocks, what was his name again?

Arthur struggled to remember what happened. Slowly things began to fall into sequence. He was gathering herbs, a storm came, his sorry excuse for a horse freaked out and left him behind… then what happened?

"Rhubarb?" Arthur called hoping the horse was nearby. He slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head to take in his surroundings.

"What's a Rhubarb? That sounds like a nasty berry. Oh yea! Are you okay? I saw you fall and hit your head when I was flying nearby and so I took you here so I could try and heal you but I don't know how to make potions but I took one of yours and had you drink it and it seems like it worked and...oh yea my name is Alfred. My pops said we're not supposed to say our names but you seem cool so I think it'll be fine." A voice rambled before a looming figure stepped into view.

The large blue and white dragon settled himself in front of Arthur with a loud thump and grinned what could be called a grin for a dragon, fangs showing. "What's your name?"

"Bloody hell!" Arthur jumped up making a grab for his sword only to find that it wasn't there. Oh, that's right. It was attached to Rhubarb's saddle. That useless animal. Arthur then grabbed a nearby rock and held it threateningly over his head.

"Why did you bring me here _dragon_?!" Alfred said the last word venomously. "Trying to keep me healthy so you can have fresh meat, hmm?! Well you were horribly mistaken. I'm one of the most talented knights of my time and I've been waiting my whole life to face a deadly dragon like you!"

Alfred was confused. This guy wanted to fight? Why? He didn't want to. Fighting was no fun, and he especially hated killing. Food was one thing, murder was another. "I don't eat people. And my name is Alfred, not dragon. So don't call me that please. I just wanted to be friends or something. Can't you assume something nicer than 'hey this guy is gonna kill me cuz he's bigger and can breathe fire' and stuff?" He huffed, smoke lazily lifting from his nostrils. "By the way, that rock isn't going to do anything. I have no intentions of fighting you. If I wanted you dead, don't you think I would've roasted you and eaten you while you were out? Not cool dude. Not. Cool."

"Wha-… H-how dare you!" Arthur yelled, his face turning red. He wasn't really angry. He just wanted to hide his embarrassment of the situation. This dragon was scolding him. Him! A valiant Knight. "Don't question a knight's form of combat. A knight needs some sort of weapon to channel his spells through to make attacks stronger." Arthur dropped the stone. "And pardon me for not wanting to trust a dragon." Arthur said sarcastically. "You creatures are always stealing our treasure and burning our land. I didn't realize there was such a thing as a friendly dragon."

"Well, excuse me for being different from everyone else." Alfred retorted bitterly. "Just cuz I don't like to kill humans. And how would you know if there's any good ones or not if you never gave one a chance to prove otherwise, huh? I like humans. I've always thought they were interesting. You guys can do magic and stuff. I've always wanted to be able to do that. Dragons can use magic but nothing like what humans do. You guys can heal things and make things better. The ones we were taught only bring destruction. I never liked that." He lowered his head so that his eyes were at level with Arthur's. "You have something that I may not ever be able to have."

Arthur stared into the dragons blue eyes. He suddenly felt very guilty about the way he was behaving. Knights where supposed to show nobility, generosity, and mercy to all people. This dragon had all of these traits and talked to Arthur sincerely.

"I apologize for speaking so harshly with you." Arthur apologized awkwardly. "You have shown me nothing but kindness while I've been the one acting beastly."

The dragon snorted with laughter and pulled away, expression seeming cheerful again. "See? Not so hard to get along, now is it?" His tail started to wag back and forth playfully, and he nudged Arthur gently with a paw. "But I still don't know your name."

Arthur wondered if it was a good idea to give a Dragon his name, but saw no harm in it.

"My name is Arthur." The Knight finally answered.

"Arthur, it's nice to meet ya." Alfred replied with a toothy grin. "Hey! In return for me helping ya, can you teach me some good magic and potions? I wanna be more helpful to other people and stuff, and I figure that if you know it (which you obviously do) then maybe you can teach me?"

Arthur hesitated. Although there was no law against it, he knew he could still get punished for being seen with a dragon. And imagine what the knights would do if they found out he is teaching one magic! But looking at Alfred, Arthur saw only good intentions in this dragons eyes. Plus this dragon showed him kindness no one else had shown him before. Sure he had the townspeople's respect but that was different from Alfred's genuine kindness. Arthur was starting to feel a bit drawn to it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to spend time with this youthful dragon and teach him a few tricks.

"Well, I guess it's only fair." Arthur answered. "After all, you did rescue me and as a knight that makes me indebt… oh bloody hell." Arthur's eye grew wide in horror. "A knight was rescued by a dragon?! If anyone ever found out I would be the laughingstock of the whole kingdom!" The irony of this situation was just too much for Arthur to handle. Arthur was beginning to feel less and less of good knight.

"What's so bad about being rescued by a dragon? Beats being told that you died by falling of your horse and hitting your head on a rock." Alfred commented in return. "We're not exactly wimpy ya know. We are strong and amazingly cool! What's bad about someone else being the hero for once? You can't live your whole life being perfect." He grinned again and nudged against Arthur's chest gently, careful not to knock him over. "Can't I be your hero at least once?"

Arthur blushed. He was always striving for perfection. After all, he had a family legacy to live up to. He was taught that only knights can be heroes and that they must be strict and keep to a code to achieve heroism. But this dragon confused him. He was carefree and kind. Heroism and chivalry came easily to him while Arthur had to work hard at it.

Arthur sighed and gently patted Alfred's head. "Well… I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to be my hero… just this once mind you!"

Alfred grinned and laughed, the sound coming from deep down in his chest. "That's great! I hope we can get to be good friends. It's nice to finally meet someone who hasn't run away screaming in terror from me. But hey, when can we start with the magic and potions and stuff?"

Arthur stilled at the question. "I wouldn't mind starting our lessons right away but, to be quite honest, I'm not sure how to go about our lessons." Arthur started to pace back and forth. A habit he did when he was trying to solve a problem. "I don't know about you, but if my people saw us together I could get into serious trouble."

Alfred was silent for a few moments and nothing could be heard except for his breathing. "Well," he finally spoke, "if it's my appearance, that's not really a problem." He stood up and shook his body, resulting in the sound of loud jingling from his scales hitting each other. "I can look human too!"

Within moments, his form changed and shifted until he was standing as a human man with blonde hair (a strand stuck out oddly towards the front) and peach-colored skin. His eyes remained the same bright blue color and they twinkled mischievously. "See?"

Arthur gaped at the sight before him. "You can change your appearance?!" He quickly started walking around Alfred analyzing him. "I never knew such magic was possible. I've heard rumors of transfiguration but no one has ever succeeded in finding the right formula. Can all dragons do this?" Arthur was now poking and prodding Alfred. He was just so transfixed and amazed by the possibilities this new information could bring. "What's this? do all dragons have these." Arthur asked curiously then proceeded to yank the odd stand of hair sticking up.

Alfred squirmed away from he poking and prodding uneasily, grimacing. "All dragons can do this much, even as hatchlings. It's a means of survival. Humans hunt us, so we disguise ourselves as one so we don't get caught. He let out a low whine and smacked Arthur's hands away from his strand of hair. "Are you normally this touchy?! Geeze. Not all of us have one, but it's common. I think it's just a hereditary thing. Just-just don't touch it, okay?!"

Alfred's reaction surprised Arthur and caused him to blush. "Sorry. I'm usually not the type to invade people's personal space. It's just, humans have been trying to master transfiguration for ages and we've never come close to perfecting it. Your talent is truly remarkable." Arthur looked at Alfred in awe. Alfred was a very beautiful dragon with his blue and white scales but his human form was simply amazing. Who would have ever guessed that this handsome and dashing young man was actually a dragon?  
Arthur quickly shook the last thought out of his head.

"Anyways. We can begin our lessons tomorrow at noon. There is an old training facility a few miles south of my town. No one goes there anymore and it has all the things we will need to properly teach you magic."

"Alright! Great! I'm looking forward to it!" Alfred chirped with a bright grin. "Hey, do you need a ride back? I can always fetch your horse for ya. I know you won't let me take you, since I'm a dragon and all, but I can at least get that horse so you don't have to look for it for ages yourself. Easier to find from the sky. I've got good eyes."

Arthur tried to hide the smile he felt coming on his face. This dragon was just too sweet and kindhearted. It was rather endearing. "Yes. That would actually help me very much. Thank you, dra… Alfred."

Alfred noticed the change in how Arthur was talking to him now, referring to him by name rather than species, and was pleased. He nodded and grinned before turning back to a dragon and taking off faster than the green-eyed knight could see, wings flaring causing the air to billow. It didn't take him long to find the skittish horse, making sure to grab it gently so that he didn't crush the animal's ribs. It wasn't easy to keep hold of it since it kept squirming and thrashing, attempting to escape his grasp.  
It also didn't take long to fly back to the cave, the thermals of the winds allowing a smooth and easy flight. Within minutes, he was back at the cave, settling on all fours and letting go of the horse who quickly ran to the opposite side of the cave and away from him. "Got your horse Artie! He was easy to find!"

"Really? That was fast." Arthur said impressed. He then turned his attention to the cowardly horse behind him. "Now you calm down or else no apples for a week!" Arthur told the horse sternly. Rhubarb immediately stopped his fidgeting, possibly feeling horrified by the idea of not having his favorite food for a whole week. This have Arthur a chance to mount his horse. As he and Rhubarb started to leave the cave, Arthur turned to Alfred. "Thank you Alfred for everything you have done for me today. Don't forget to be there at noon."

Alfred grinned and nodded his massive head. "Sure thing! I will be on time! Promise! Just make sure that you don't get in trouble or seen anywhere near me, k?" He shuffled into his cave, making sure not to knock Arthur or his cowardly horse over as he moved. He settled into a ball and watched the knight ride away, wondering what it was like to be a knight. What made it so glorious to the humans? Why were dragons made to be so bad? Sure there were some real jerks out there, but he wasn't.

As Arthur made his way home he kept thinking about what Alfred said to him. They muddled his thoughts and made him question his upbringing. Dragons tuned out to not be as bad as they were made out to be to the humans. Alfred was actually the kindness being he had ever encountered. Arthur absentmindedly pet his horse. "We'll Rhubarb, after today I don't think I'll ever want to slay a dragon."

Alfred smiled to himself as he wondered what would be in store for him the next morning. He was honestly feeling rather giddy about the fact that he'd just befriended a human when all the others had told him it was an impossible feat. He wanted to go out and brag to his friends and family, but who would believe him? And if they did, they would only tell him that it wasn't allowed and that the human was only plotting to kill him in the end. But he knew that was wrong anyways. Arthur didn't seem to be the type to pull that kind of stunt on him. He seemed too kind for such a cruel act. He hadn't killed him up til now had he?

"What are you smiling about, Al? You seem super happy."  
Alfred's head shot up and he ran to his violet-scaled brother to greet him. "Hey Mattie! Haven't seen ya in awhile! How are you?"  
The purple dragon snorted with laughter and nudged him back in greeting. "I've been well brother." He paused and sniffed the air around him and narrowed his eyes at the younger blue male. "Why does it smell like a human was here? You didn't go out and drag one here did you?"

"A-ah well, I found an injured one. I couldn't just leave him out there. He could've died." Alfred protested quickly, nervously, as he shuffled awkwardly on his paws. "Well...I mean, he didn't try to hurt me or anything anyways."

"Al! You know you can't just bring a human here like they do with animals as their pets! You know you can get in trouble for doing stupid things like that! They could send a knight after you!" Matthew snapped, wings flaring and tail snapping at the ground furiously.  
Guess it wouldn't be a good thing to tell him that Arthur WAS a knight. "I'll be fine bro. You worry too much."

"Honestly, Al. You need to learn. They are cold-hearted beings that just like to hunt us for our scales, fangs and horns. Just leave them alone."

Ah...well...he couldn't do that now could he?

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**Thus ends the first chapter of our story. There was even a surprise appearance with Matthew (Yamiyo. Darknight) at the end.**

**I don't know why but every time I read the beginning of this story I hear Arthur's life being narrated by the same woman who narrates the opening of The Lord or the Rings. ^_^;**

**We hope you enjoyed our first chapter. Please review and let us know what you think.**

**Also, don't forget to check out Yamiyo. Darknight's other stories. The link to her FF is on my profile.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again everybody. **

**i just wanted to remind you all that I am writing as Arthur and Francis while Yamiyo. Darknight is writing as Alfred and Matthew.**

**Thank you to everyone who favored and followed this story. It makes Yamiyo and me very happy. we hope you enjoy Chapter 2.**

**Neither of us owns Hetalia.**

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Arthur quietly snuck down to the stables. He knew he was running a little late to meet Alfred, but he had to make sure that no one knew he was leaving again. It would only be bothersome for him. Although, he knew that the other knights would just think of him as being anti social for going out again so soon.

Arthur saddled Rhubarb and double checked to make sure he had everything. Once he was sure everything was there, Arthur prepared to mount his horse.

"And where are you heading of to, mon ami?"

Arthur did a startled jump upon hearing the voice and quickly backed away from Rhubarb. He turned around to find his best friend (and worst enemy) Francis leaning against one of the pillars of the stable.

"I'm going out to get more ingredients for my potions, frog!… Not that it's any of your business." Arthur said pointedly.

"Really?" Francis raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "I thought you had done that yesterday."

"W-well I did!" Arthur stuttered. "But I had to leave early because of the storm. So I didn't have time to finish." Arthur mounted his horse quickly before he could be asked anymore questions. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to get there before noon so I can make it back in time for dinner."

Francis didn't lose his look of suspicion, but moved out of his way. "Alright, but don't make a habit out of leaving the town so often. Your duty is to these people."

Arthur couldn't look at his friend's face as he rode off.

_Your duty is to these people._

Was it wrong for Arthur to be using his time helping a dragon instead of his own people?

* * *

Alfred had been long awake, unable to sleep at all over the night. He was too excited for the magic lessons he was supposed to be having and had waited for the sun to hit that certain spot in the sky before striding to the mouth of his cave and checking to see if anyone was there to watch him leave. Matthew hadn't stayed long and left soon after their short squabble, insisting that Alfred was "an idiot that needed to learn a lesson". He didn't mind since Mattie never meant what he said and apologized in a short time anyways.

After making sure that no other dragon was out to catch him, he stretched his wings and took off into the air with a shout of joy before spiraling higher and higher until he was hidden in the clouds. How he would like to show this sight to the knight. The clouds reminded him of the ocean today and he longed to take Arthur onto his back and show him this skysea.

He quickly arrived at his destination set by Arthur and landed softly with a thump by the abandoned building. He shifted into his human form, figuring that Arthur would probably be happier to see him in a relatable form.

Arthur arrived at the old training facility several minutes late. The building looked a bit worn but to Arthur it looked just as grand as he remembered it. Arthur adored this building for sentimental reasons.

Arthur dismounted Rhubarb and called out for Alfred. "Alfred are you here? Sorry I'm late, I had to shake off a nosy frog back in town."

Alfred immediately perked up at the sound of Arthur's voice and took off running in the direction it was coming from. When he spotted the blonde, he pounced on him with a hug, grinning as he did. "Yay! Artie you're here! I'm glad! I was totally excited about today and couldn't sleep but don't worry, I won't fall asleep on ya when you're teaching me stuff! You didn't have any trouble getting here right? Right? Nobody gave you trouble? Cuz sometimes people are nosey and you have to get em to go away but then they don't want to and-" He paused and blushed bashfully. "Sorry. I'm rambling..."

Arthur was not expecting to see Alfred already in his human form and he especially wasn't expecting to be glomped by said dragon. He felt himself grow redder and redder as Alfred continued to ramble and cling to him. Arthur's heart began to throb in a somewhat pleasant way and made him feel confused. He broke free of Alfred's grip causing the dragon to stop his rambling.

"Uh no, it's quite alright." Arthur answered rather embarrassingly. "One of the other knights stopped me on my way out. He seemed a bit suspicious but I'm sure I threw him off. Thank you for your concern… Now! How about we start our lesson?"

"He?" Alfred chirped in confusion. "Who's he?" His eyes narrowed and he frowned, blue eyes becoming cold, almost reptilian. "He wasn't bad to you was he? He didn't try and hurt you?"

Arthur was startled by Alfred's sudden change in attitude. "Oh no he wasn't bad to me… well at least not today he wasn't. His name is Francis. I guess to me he is sort of a frienemy. Some days he is actually a pleasant bloke and we enjoy each others company but most days he and the other knights like to make fun of me." Arthur explained.

Alfred didn't reply for a moment and seemed to be miffed, as if the unknown knight had offended him in some way. He shifted from foot to foot uneasily and looked away. It didn't sit well with him about the fact that his friend was being insulted and made fun of.

"They shouldn't be making fun of you," he mumbled irritably.

"I-It's not like I can't handle it." Arthur stuttered. "I'm a knight and I learn to not let such trivial things bother me." He didn't expect Alfred to react this way. No one else ever cared if he was picked on. So why was a Dragon, a creature that was supposed to hate him, showing genuine concern for him?

Alfred's mood changed abruptly again and he smiled brightly. "Well, I can always beat them up for ya if you ever need me to. No one is gonna mess with my friends while I'm around." He started to bounce on his feet excitedly and pointed at the seemingly empty building. "So can we go in and start now? Pretty please?"

"I highly doubt that you can take on a whole army of knights." Arthur said critically, but couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on his face at Alfred's childish behavior. "Now, I thought it would be best to start with some simple potions. There's an old potion room here with all the supplies we will need."

Arthur began to walk into the building and motioned for Alfred to follow him.

"Sure I can! Cuz I'm super strong! And I'm a dragon! And I can breathe fire! So I can totally take on an army! Easy!" Alfred boasted, following behind Arthur. "It'd be like knocking down some pebbles or something like that."

Arthur rolled his eyes. This dragon obviously had a big ego to think he can take on a whole army of trained knights. Knights that he himself taught the most advanced spells… Alfred wouldn't really attempt to take them on for Arthur's sake, right?

When they entered the room, Alfred gasped and started searching all over the room, analyzing all the items on the shelves; the books, ingredients, powders and such. His eyes sparkled with curiosity and he stared at them all with amazement. "Wow! There's so much stuff here! I didn't think that potions required so much stuff!" He sniffed a jar of herbs and promptly sneezed, a small bout of flame and smoke coming out as well. He rubbed his nose smiled weakly at Arthur. "Sorry. I can still breathe fire in this form too. We might need to dust this place, just so I don't set it on fire..."

Seeing Alfred's reaction to the potion room brought another smile to Arthur's face. It reminded him of when his father first brought him here.

Arthur picked up a feather duster from the corner of the room and mumbled an incantation under his breath. The feather duster came to life and flew out of his hand to begin dusting the room.

"There. Now we can get started on your potions lesson while that makes sure you don't burn the place down."

"Uwah! You can use magic for stuff like that too? So cooool!" Alfred exclaimed, watching the duster as it scurried to and fro across the room. He apparently got too close to it when it started dusting his face, causing him to jolt back with a yelp and fell onto his bottom with a thud. "Ouch!"

He smiled awkwardly at Arthur and scratched his head. "Heheh...oops...I didn't think that would happen." He stood up and stepped back to Arthur, looking apologetic for interrupting the time to be studying. "Sorry. I'll behave now. You can start."

Arthur tried to look upset with Alfred, but only succeeded in pursing his lips. It was hard to keep a straight face when the other had feathers sticking out of his mussed up hair.

"I made that spell up myself." Arthur said while he picked a couple of the feathers out of Alfred's hair. "I used to be too busy to do my chores so I would use magic to get them done. Now I just use them out of laziness." Arthur turned to the bookshelves and pulled out an old potions book.

"You know how to make your own spells too! That's so awesome Artie!" Alfred gasped excitedly, shaking his head to get the remainder of feathers out of his hair (or at least to try to). "We can't use magic like that, except usually to blow things up or something, which can be handy when you're trapped somewhere, but otherwise it's really kind of useless, ya know? It's not like everyone just goes around blowing things up for fun or anything like that...so..."

He eyed the book in Arthur's hands and grinned. "Oooooh! So what are we gonna start with? Something awesome?"

"Calm down. You are just a beginner so we are going to start with something simple and easy." Arthur flipped through the beginners book until he found the page he was looking for. "Here we go. You can start off making a Hiccup Solution."

Alfred pursed his lips and sighed. "Hiccup solution? That sounds so boring! There's a lot of plants that can get rid of that without making a potion." Deciding that he should obey anyways (mostly since he didn't want to be told that the lessons would be canceled if he didn't do as he was told), he tried to peer over Arthur's shoulder to look at the words on the page. "So...what do you think we start with then?"

"Oh belt up." Arthur smacked Alfred's shoulder, although it was done playfully. The pout on his face was very familiar to Arthur. He had the same expression on his face when he learned he wasn't going to be making anything '_awesome_' for his first potion. "Don't give me that look. This was the first potion I ever learnt to brew. It allows you to become familiar with cutting herbs and putting the right amount of ingredients into a potion... Now go grab a jar of horned slugs."

Alfred stuck his tongue out at Arthur but went and did as he was told anyways. He looked through the shelves and quickly grabbed the jar before setting it in front of them. "These things smell awful! I don't understand how these things can be used to make potions. So gross!" He wrinkled his nose with disgust. "It might not be as bad to you, but your senses are duller than a dragon's." He glared at the slugs with disdain and scoffed. "I couldn't stand to harvest these things. They look slimey."

"You think they stink now just wait until you have to harvest their organs." Arthur said with a smirk as he set a bowl in front of Alfred.

"Awwwww! Are you kidding me?! We have to get their organs?!" Alfred whined, sounding horrified. "That's super gross! Don't we have gloves at least? Cuz if we have to do it bare-handed, I'm gonna barf. That's just gross. Ewewewewewewewewewewew. They smell so baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!"

"You were the one who wanted to learn how to brew potions. And you can use gloves if you want to, but I never use them. They tend to be bothersome and restrictive when you try to work with harder potions." Arthur advised. He started to read the instructions from the book. "Once you've finished with the slugs you can begin slicing the valerian roots into 3 centimeter pieces."

Alfred groaned and shuffled his feet nervously. He didn't want to touch the slugs. They were disgusting and smelled just as horrible as they looked. But he didn't want to look bad in front of Arthur either. They were just slugs...right? "W-which organs are we supposed to be taking anyways...?" he asked, trying not to lose what he'd eaten earlier when he grabbed a slug from the jar. "And how many are we using?"

"Take out two slugs. Make an incision on their bellies and pull out the spleen, liver and intestines. Also be careful not to burst he bladder otherwise it will contaminate the rest of the organs." Arthur was busy reading the book so he didn't notice Alfred's pale expression. "Oh, and don't forget to scrape the horns off. You'll need to crush those and sprinkle them into the mixture."

Alfred gave a weak groan and took a knife from the table before carefully slicing the slug's belly open, gagging when the disgusting smell intensified. "Oh god..." He stared at the tiny organs in the body and immediately was lost. Again. Which organ was which? He had a feeling that the squiggly looking things were the intestines. But then again...was that the liver? "Uh...Artie? Which is which? I-I'm lost here..."

Arthur finally looked up from the book and saw the confused look on the dragon's face.

"Oh sorry, here." Arthur grabbed a book from the shelf and placed it in front of Alfred. The page showed a neat diagram of the slug. "See your going to want to find a large red ball shaped organ, that will be the liver, those squiggly ones there are the intestines, and this long pulsing green one is the spleen." Arthur, with practiced ease, stuck his fingers in the slug and opened the incision a bit wider to point out the needed organs.

"O-oh...okay..." Alfred replied with a grimace, not enjoying the site of the organs of the slug. He imitated what Arthur did and carefully pulled the small organs out before cutting the horns off of the head. "Ewwww...they're so slimy..." he mumbled, wishing they were just working with plants. He pulled out another slug and did the same, trying not to gag again at the smell.

"Of course they're slimy. They're slugs." Arthur remarked, feeling slightly amused by Alfred's reaction to the slugs. "You're a dragon. I'm sure you've dealt with more disgusting things than a couple of slugs." Once Alfred had finished he passed him the valerians. "Here. And remember, 3 centimeter pieces. Enough to fill 1/3 of the bowl."

"No, actually, I haven't!" Alfred whined, practically flinging the leftover slug bodies away from him. As far away from him as possible. "I can handle meat, but slugs are just disgusting!" He wiped his hands off on a random piece of cloth that he found and set to cutting the valerians, making sure to follow the instructions given to him. "Alright. I've got it."

"Hold on just a tick." Arthur stopped Alfred from cutting. "You have to make sure the pieces are completely even with each other." Arthur placed his hands on Alfred's and guided him in cutting the roots at equal lengths. "Precision is always key in potion making."

Alfred halted his movements, face flushing red when his hands were gripped and guided. His heart paced quickly and he started to squirm nervously in his place. "O-okay, I'll be more careful th-then."

He felt a million thoughts race through his mind when Arthur was so close. Was that parchment he smelled? And tea. He wasn't fond of tea but it smelled good on hi-

He shook his head quickly, trying to dash the thoughts from his mind. Silly thoughts can go away.

Arthur let Alfred take over the cutting but he didn't remove his hands, just incase he needed to guide Alfred again. He wasn't keeping them there because Alfred's hands felt nice and warm against Arthur's cool ones or because it he felt comfortable being so close to the young dragon. No, that wasn't the reason at all!

"Perfect." Arthur said once Alfred was finished. He reluctantly removed his hands to grab a cauldron from one of the shelves. "Now you will need to boil some water and then add the ingredients you prepared."

Alfred nodded and did as he was told, feeling relieved yet highly disappointed when their hands were no longer touching. Why had Arthur kept his hands on his own for that long anyways? He wasn't sure. Maybe he was just paranoid about him screwing up. He hadn't done anything bad worth noting so far, but... Was Arthur really that wary about what he was doing?

He grabbed a bucket and took it out of the building to look for water, deep in thought as he walked away. There was a lake over nearby, he knew that... He took off at a run, the wooden bucket dangling from his hand and promptly fell into a river, having not noticed that the ground cut off shortly from where he was.

Well...he found the water at least.

He stood up and squeezed the water from his now-wet clothing, knowing that Arthur was going to be questioning him about it when he got back. He grabbed the bucket and made sure it was filled with water before looking up at the ledge he'd fallen from with a frown. That wasn't going to be easy to get back up to unless...

His two blue and white wings stretched out and flapped, lifting him back to where he'd fallen. He settled himself to the ground before letting them hide themselves again. He then headed back to the building, still soaking wet.

"Ah...I'm back with the water," he called to Arthur, smiling awkwardly when he came in soaking wet. "I kinda fell in the river..."

Before Arthur got a chance to tell him about the indoor well, Alfred had bolted out of the room in search for water. Maybe he ran out so fast because Arthur made him uncomfortable.

The young knight began to feel sick at the thought. He didn't want to scare off his new friend with his straight forward actions. But he couldn't help it. Arthur never felt this comfortable around anyone before.

Arthur turned when he heard a sloshing sound behind him. Alfred was standing in the doorway completely drenched with a bucket of water in his hand. Arthur made a 'pft' sound when he tried to stifle a laugh at the sheepish expression on Alfred's face.

"You left before I could tell you that there's an indoor well in the other room. It was built so students wouldn't slip and fall into the river."

"W-well you didn't stop me either!" Alfred retorted with pursed lips before grinning again. "But I still got the water here anyways!" He had the expression if a child expecting praise after accomplishing some "great feat".

Arthur walked over to Alfred and took the bucket. He set it on the table before turning back to the dragon to place his hands on the dragon's chest. After muttering a few words heat grew from the knights hands and spread throughout the dragons clothes making them dry once again.

Alfred blushed slightly at the context to his chest and gasped with surprise when the water evaporated and his clothes were dry again. "Ah! Awesome!" He grinned cheerfully. "I didn't know you could do stuff like that either. Thanks!"

It took Arthur all if his will power to not let his hands linger on Alfred's chest. The dragon was well built and his scent reminded Arthur of a warm bonfire. It was a sweet, doughy odor tinged with charcoal. Arthur quickly turned away so Alfred couldn't see his blushing face.

"O-of course we can use magic to do that. It comes in handy when we get caught in a storm and need to warm ourselves.…" Arthur stuttered. He willed his blush away before returning his attention to the potion. "After you add the ingredients to the boiling water, keep adding Bulbadox Powder into the pot until it turns into an aubergine color."

"Awber-whatta?" Alfred asked, looking at Arthur in confusion as he held the ingredients in his hands. He cocked his head and stared at the water as he tossed some of the ingredients in. "What's that awber...awber-something something?"

"It's a brownish-purple color. Like the vegetable aubergine. I believe some people refer to it as 'eggplant'." Arthur answered.

Alfred cocked his head back and hummed. "Ok then. I don't like those, I think. I'd rather just eat meat. Tastes better." He started to mix in the powder, watching as the color started to slowly change gradually to the color he was supposed to look for. "This color right?"

Arthur looked over Alfred's shoulder to view the mixture. "Excellent. Now all you need to do is add some peppermint for flavor and you're done."

"Peppermint always smells good. We use it when we feel sick since mint makes stomachs feel better." Alfred commented, licking his lips. "Doesn't taste too bad either, compared to other things we've used to try and feel better." He looked at Arthur and held out a hand. "You've got the mint right?"

"Really? What sort of remedies do dragons use?" Arthur inquired as he passed Alfred the jar of peppermint leaves. "And don't eat any of those. They're for the potions." He added when he saw the dragon lick his lips.

"Well, we don't use all the same things as why you guys do cuz it's often poisonous to you." Alfred explained. "But mint is a commonly used one. So is worm's seed. And yellow dock. But like hemlock is poisonous to you, but it helps our digestive systems develop an immunity to poisons."

"You eat hemlock?!" Arthur exclaimed in shock. "How can you possibly eat that?! Wouldn't that make you horribly ill?"

"Nah. Like I said, it's relatively harmless to us." Alfred continued to explain. "Our organs are more developed than yours. They can make use of poisons and use them to help us become immune to all sorts of poisons and stuff. We might get a stomach ache at most if we eat too much. But we won't die. Tastes awful though."

"I'm sure it does." Arthur said with a grimace. Arthur retrieved a ladle to scoop up the mixture. The potion was thick and bubbly. He could also see some if the slugs innards along with the roots had floated to the top.

With the ladle, Arthur scooped up the mixture and brought it o his lips to taste.

Alfred grimaced as Arthur scooped some of the solution and tasted it. He could only imagine it as something awful, seeing as the ingredients consisted of the body parts of SLUGS. "How can you bring yourself to taste that? I feel bad for whoever had the misfortune of getting the hiccups and having to taste that crap."

Arthur savored the potion. It tasted exactly how it was supposed to. "The peppermint dilutes the taste of slug intestines." Arthur said licking his lips. "You did a wonderful job making the potion."

Alfred beamed at the praise, looking like a child that had just been congratulated for doing some great thing. "Really? Awesome!" He jumped up from where he was and hugged Arthur to his chest. "It has to be cuz you're an awesome teacher!"

Arthur burrowed his head into Alfred's shoulder. He didn't know why he was blushing so much today but he didn't want the young dragon to see.

"N-nonsense! You p-pick up pretty fast for a beginner." Arthur stuttered. Being in Alfred's arms made him feel very anxious. He hoped the dragon couldn't hear his pounding heart.

Alfred (as oblivious as he was) ruffled Arthur's hair, wondering why he was hiding his face so much in the short period of time. "Hey, you okay Artie? You're not feeling sick are ya? Cuz I don't think I know anything to really help ya."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Arthur said (perhaps a little too loudly). He pushed Alfred away trying to regain his composure. "There are probably some Wrackspurts flying around! They tend to make people feel a bit loopy." Arthur lied. He knew there where no such things as Wrackspurts but he didn't know any other excuse to use. Darn that Lovegood family and their odd make believe creatures.

Alfred being Alfred didn't catch the lie and cocked his head curiously. "Wrackspurts? Never heard of em. I've seen a bunch of creatures, but not that one. What are they exactly?"

"Oh they uh… fly into your ear and make your mind all fuzzy." Arthur laughed nervously. Well at least Alfred didn't notice what a terrible liar he was.

"Ehhh? I've never heard of those. I wonder if they're what had to do with that time I kept forgetting things. That would explain a lot." Alfred commented obliviously. "Do they do that to everyone?"

"P-p-possibly?" Arthur was wondering why on earth he was still going with this outrageous lie. But then again it was better than Alfred thinking he was some sort of madman for acting the way he had been all day. What with all the blushing and stuttering and bold gestures. "They sure are pesky creatures and are nearly impossible to see!" Arthur began to pretend he was swatting away invisible moths. "Perhaps we should end our lesson here for today. It's getting late and hopefully all the Wrackspurts will be gone by the time we start our next lesson."

Alfred nodded again, feeling rather unsure about the way Arthur was acting. Almost as if he were lying or hiding something. But he was sure he wasn't. He wouldn't lie right?

"Oh. Okay then. They'll probably just cause problems anyways. We might forget stuff while we're working and blow something up...or something like that." He smiled brightly, hopefully. "When's the next time we're gonna meet up? Tomorrow? Or are you gonna be busy with your knight stuffs?"

Up until that moment, Arthur had forgotten about the conversation he had with Francis in the morning. If he met with Alfred again tomorrow he would be putting his people's needs aside… but Alfred's face looked so hopeful. Those lovely sky blue eyes looked bright with anticipation. How could Arthur say no?

"I will have enough time for my duties afterwards. We can have our lesson at the same time tomorrow."

Alfred jumped up and down with excitement. "Awesome! I can't wait! It'll be more awesome than curing hiccups right?"

"Yes, I think you've proven that you can handle something a bit more complex." Arthur answered with a smile. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled so much in one day. "And I promise no slugs… maybe just a dung beetle or two."

"Well, beetles aren't slimey at least." Alfred mumbled, shuddering at the thought of touching the slugs and the smell they had. "Slugs are just gross!"

"You'll get used to it." Arthur laughed. He led Alfred out of the building to where Rhubarb was waiting. The knight didn't immediately mount his horse like he usually did when leaving someone's presence. He turned to look at Alfred. "Have a good evening, Alfred. I'll see you tomorrow."

Alfred smiled brightly (as he was known to do) and nodded. "You too, Artie. Make sure that horse of yours doesn't get you into any trouble." He placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder and squeezed it rather tightly. "And let me know if I need to punish anyone who dares to make fun of you or hurt you." He said the last part with a smile and gentle tone, but there was a possessive and overprotective undertone to it.

Arthur felt a tingle run down his spine at Alfred's tone. The knight didn't allow himself time to ponder over whether the feeling was unpleasant or not. He took Alfred's hand off his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before mounting Rhubarb. "Don't you worry about me. I can take care of myself. Just stay focused for your lessons." Arthur, not waiting to hear Alfred's reply, clicked the reigns and began riding back to the town.

Alfred watched, feeling slightly dejected at the sudden absence of the knight. He wondered if he'd startled him, and began to mentally berate himself over it. Dragons were possessive and he couldn't help but show that trait when it came down to it. He sighed and looked at the sky, watching as the sun began to lower itself. He probably had to get home before it got too dark. Not that he really had anything to worry about. Most of the monsters around the area were terrified of dragons or their flames. He shifted back to his true form of blue and white scales, and then took off for his home.

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**Hooray for Harry Potter reference! Did anyone catch that? **

**Anyways, thanks again for reading. Please leave a review I let us know what you think. n_n**

******Also, don't forget to check out Yamiyo. Darknight's other stories. The link to her FF is on my profile.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again lovely readers! Here is Chapter 3.**

**Thank you again for those of you who favorited, followed, and reviewed our story. It makes me and Yamiyo. Darknight so happy to see them.**

**So just reminding you all again:**

**Yamiyo is Alfred, Matthew, and all of the other Dragon character**

**And I am Arthur, Francis, and all the people in the Knight's Kingdom.**

**Neither of us owns Hetalia.**

* * *

Over the course of three weeks, Alfred was able to accomplish what took most people years of practice in potion making. Arthur couldn't have been more proud of the dragon.

Although there was one incident where the knight had turned his back on the dragon for one second to reach for a book on a high shelf and Alfred had accidentally spilt a Swelling Potion on himself. It caused his feet to become grotesquely enlarged and Arthur had to brew a Deflating Draught to reverse the effects.

Luckily, Arthur had been able to avoid Francis so he wasn't questioned for his constant absence during the three weeks. He found himself rushing through his duties in the early morning just so he could hurry over for his lessons with Alfred. The young dragon's presence was just intoxicating. His smile, his bright blue eyes, his laugh and egotistical persona was a breath of fresh air in Arthur's life. It was impossible for the knight to stay away from him. But he was beginning to get worried that he would lose this new found friendship.

The Knight had been very careful to avoid teaching Alfred potions that required… special ingredients that might offend the Dragon. Yet Alfred was determined to learn how to make the one potion that required these ingredients. The Healing Elixir.

"Hey! Hey! What're you gonna teach me huh Artie? What're we gonna do today?" Alfred demanded eagerly, bouncing up and down on his feet. "And when are we going to get to that healing potion thing? Huh? Huh? Huh? You won't say anything about it. It's not like it's super hard right? Haven't I been doing good? You said I was! So why can't we do it? Come oooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnn Artie!"

"We can't do the Healing Elixir yet." Arthur replied nervously. He had just arrived for their next lesson and already Alfred was asking about the Healing Elixer. "Uh… the ingredients for the healing potion are very hard to come by. The potion is very rare in the towns and that's why it's only used in dire situations. I don't have all the ingredients so we'll have to put that lesson on hold."

What Arthur just told Alfred was mostly true. Being an advanced potion maker, Arthur had many of the most rare ingredients stocked in his cupboards. But there was one ingredient that was difficult to come by and he wasn't sure how Alfred would take it if he knew exactly what that ingredient was.

"Well, if we have to look for the ingredients, why not leave it to me?" Alfred suggested, not willing to let this potion be avoided. He'd been looking forward to creating something that healed, when in comparison, the spells and magic that dragons used were for destruction. "I've got a sensitive nose (as we both know...) and I'm sure I could find any of them easily! Piece of cake! Come on Arthur! You promised you'd teach me it!" He decided to use his puppy eyes for good measure and clasped his hands together as well in a pleading posture. "Come on! Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaase?"

'_I said I'd teach you potions not the Healing Elixer_' Arthur thought to himself but didn't say so to Alfred.

"T-the ingredients aren't that easy to find… even for a dragon." Arthur turned away to avoid Alfred's pleading expression. He wondered how it was logically possible for someone's eyes to become that large? "You'll just have to wait until I find them myself. Besides you said you wanted to learn potions and spells to help others. I've taught you plenty of potions to assist people in a wide variety of situations."

"Yea, but Artie, this actually HEALS people!" Alfred went on persistently. "And I'm sure those ingredients can't be THAT hard to find. I'm really good at finding things! Really good!"

"No Alfred you can't!" Arthur turned back to Alfred and snapped. The knight suddenly felt horrified that he had yelled at Alfred when he was just excited about learning something new.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." Arthur looked at the ground to avoid Alfred's gaze. "It's difficult to get and I don't want you to get hurt trying to retrieve it. Please… please just drop it for now."

Alfred seemed rather miffed, not having expected the reaction he'd gotten. "Why would I get hurt? Have you forgotten that I happen to be a dragon? I haven't lived this long doing nothing to protect myself you know. Hatchlings are helpless and have to work themselves to be strong. I'm not weak. And if I DID get hurt from trying to help people, I'd rather have that happen than do nothing at all. What if something happens, Arthur? What if something happens that we can't fix because we hesitated to get something we needed? I don't want that Arthur. I don't."

"… No Alfred… I haven't forgot that you're a dragon." The knight said quietly.

'_That's why I can't tell you…_' Arthur thought miserably. '_I'm afraid that if I told you… I would end up losing you._'

"I'm not trying to imply that you're weak. I know that you are strong and kind and good and wonderful and…" Arthur paused. He didn't want to say too much. What if Alfred became disgusted with him if he knew of Arthur's feelings for him? "I understand that you are eager to learn this potion but this is a very complex mixture. You have to be patient and let me retrieve it. It may even be faster if we do it this way." Arthur was lying about the last part. He knew it was selfish of him to do so but he couldn't lose Alfred.

Alfred frowned and crossed his arms, definitely NOT willing to step down. "You didn't answer my last questions. What if something happened NOW Arthur? What if I go home and my brother is hurt really bad and I need that potion to help him? Making hiccups go away is one thing that can wait; it's nothing important or threatening. But what if someone close to you were to get hurt and you didn't know any way of helping them? And the one way you know is possible isn't available because you didn't want to let me look for the ingredients that are probably simpler to find than you think?"

Arthur was at a loss for words. He had run out of excuses to tell this persistent dragon. Alfred was just getting more and more upset with him the more he tried to avoid the topic. Arthur knew he had no choice but to tell him.

Arthur let out a shaky breath and sat down on a nearby seat. He motioned for Alfred to take the seat next to him. "Alfred… I need to tell you something. And I need to ask you to not think any less of me once I tell you."

Alfred sat as he was told to and cocked his head, puzzled. "Why would I think less of you? You just seem overly concerned which means that you don't want me to be hurt which means that you like me right? So...that would mean you're a good person. I wouldn't think any less of you for it."

"Y-yes Alfred I-I do like you." Arthur blushed. "You have been a very good friend to me and I don't want you to be hurt… but I haven't been completely truthful with you." Arthur started to lightly tremble. He was so nervous; so afraid. Alfred was being loyal and kind. But Arthur was afraid that once he told him the truth all that loyalty and kindness would turn to into hate.

Alfred nodded at the comment, trying to be patient but feeling very much otherwise as he waited for the explanation. "Well, if you're my friend then why don't you tell me what it is that's making you panic like this? What ingredients are so hard to get that it would make you freak out over my well-being?"

"Alfred…" Arthur took a deep breath. "Haven't you ever wondered why Knights hunt dragons?"

"Cuz they hate and fear us?" Alfred answered bluntly, confused about why the topic was suddenly changing so abruptly. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Well, that is part of the reason… but that's not why we continue to do this." Arthur answered completely ignoring Alfred's last question. "We have always thought that dragons are beautiful. You are all such amazing and strong creatures. Before all of this hunting began, we would only kill a dragon if they appeared to be a threat to us or stole our property… we never understood why you liked taking our gold and silver." Arthur paused. He began to fiddle with his fingers. He felt unsure of how to continue, but did so anyways.

"This all started long ago, when my great grandfather had just achieved Knighthood. He was the strongest Knight in all of Hetalia and he was always looking for someone worthy enough to fight him." Arthur explained. "My great grandfather was amazed by Dragons' power and strength. He wanted to test his strength and defeat one. So he set out to find a Dragon and killed the first one he saw…" Arthur trailed off again. He has heard and told this story dozens of times; and every time his ancestor was made out to be some sort of hero for being the first to set out and kill an innocent Dragon. Only now did Arthur finally see this act for what it was. Murder.

Arthur stared at the ground; too afraid to look at Alfred's face for a reaction. When he heard no reply he decided to continue.

"After killing the poor creature he went to examine it. He was amazed by the unique strength of the dragon's scales. They were as tough as armor and hard to penetrate. He also noticed that they gave off a strange sort of energy. He removed a great deal of the dragon's scales and brought them back to the village. He ran a many tests the scales and used them for different things. And through those experiments he found a great use for them. He discovered that they had magical properties that caused them to strengthen over time. So he used them to create the first Healing Elixir."

"He told the king about this amazing discovery and convinced the King to make it into a tradition to slay Dragons. The king told people that dragons were evil and destructive creatures that should be feared. He made it a Knights duty to kill Dragons and convinced them it would bring great honor on them to kill such a powerful creature. And every Dragon they killed they would harvest their scales for more potions… the reason why slaying Dragons is so popular among my people… is because my family started the tradition."

Alfred didn't say anything for a long time, the expression on his face was dark and he was deep in thought. he wasn't sure how to process this in his mind. Arthur's family had started the tradition of killing Dragons just so they could steal their scales for potions?

"I'm sorry...I don't know what to say right now..." Alfred said, voice strained. "I'm going to go out for a bit. I need to think about what you told me." He stood up and moved to Arthur and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Before I leave, I want you to know that I DON'T hate you. You didn't start this." He paused and then left the room, leaving Arthur by himself.

Once Alfred had left, Arthur rushed out the back door to the river the clumsy dragon had fallen into three weeks ago… it didn't seem like three weeks had passed. Within a short amount of time, that lovable dragon had been able to make Arthur feel so many emotions he had never felt before.

Before Alfred came along, Arthur never realized how hollow he was; going day after day gaining praise for completing his duties yet never feeling fulfillment in his life. But with Alfred he felt elated, cheerful and uplifted. Helping the young Dragon for a noble cause made Arthur feel like he was doing something right. And seeing Alfred's face light up when he had done a good job gave Arthur a feeling of completeness.

Arthur knew he didn't deserve someone so wonderful in his life. Alfred should be his happy carefree egotistical self. But now, because of Arthur, Alfred had left to gather his thoughts and the young Knight didn't know what he was feeling. Was he angry? Repulsed? Overwhelmed? Distraught? Most likely he felt all these emotions and so much more. And Arthur was the one to bring out these bout of emotions. The thought tormented the Knight. He couldn't hold back his sorrowful tears.

"I'm so sorry, Alfred." He collapsed to the ground and whimpered quietly.

"Funny that we should come to the same spot, huh?"

Arthur snapped his head up to find Alfred standing in front of him. "A-Alfred!" Arthur exclaimed in shock. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to see me this way." Arthur quickly wiped away his tears.

"You don't need to apologize. It wasn't your fault for what's happened ya know. You're not a bad person. You could have killed me before, especially when I was "human", but you didn't."

He kneeled down to Arthur's level and softly ruffled his hair before leaning down and hugging him tightly to his chest. "Like I said, I don't hate you. You've been nothing but kind to me. I don't have any reason to hate you. You tried to protect me from what I didn't know. If my scales are what you need, it isn't a problem. We shed them for new ones all the time."

Arthur leaned into Alfred's embrace and buried his head into his shoulder to prevent the dragon from seeing the fresh tears starting to run down his face. "I'm sorry for lying to you… I don't understand how you can forgive me so easily." The knight lifted his tear stained face to gaze into Alfred's sky blue eyes. "You deserved to know from the beginning. I was being selfish. I was just afraid of losing you."

"It's alright. I understand. There's nothing really to forgive you for, though." Alfred said softly, trying to soothe Arthur. "You wouldn't lose me for something like that. If it came down to it, I'd let you take my scales for whatever you needed. It wouldn't bother me."

Arthur leaned even closer letting his forehead rest against Alfred's. Their noses brushed lightly against each other. Arthur was convinced that the dragon would leave him once he learned the truth, but he was staying. He didn't think Alfred would be here in his arms. Holding him. Comforting him. "Thank you… I don't think you know how much it means to me that you are here."

Alfred smiled softly and moved his head up so he could press his lips to Arthur's forehead. "Well, I don't understand a lot of things, but it ain't gonna stop me from what I do. He ran his hand through Arthur's messy blonde hair and then let it rest at the back of his neck. "I know you wouldn't purposely hurt me. You're not that kind of person."

Arthur felt his breath catch when Alfred's lips brushed against his forehead. His heart raced upon feeling the Dragon's hand caress his hair and rest at his neck.

Arthur didn't know what possessed him to do what he did next. Maybe it was the closeness or Alfred's kind words or the emotions growing and overpowering the Knight's good sense. Whatever it was, it caused Arthur to close the distance between them. He brought his lips to Alfred's. It wasn't a passionate kiss but it sent a jolt through the Knight causing his racing heart to jump in his chest.

Then, a light clicked in Arthur's head. He realized what he was doing and tried to push Alfred back. "I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me!"

Alfred didn't reply and blinked at Arthur in surprise, but grinned the next moment. He cupped Arthur's face with his hands and kissed him again, feeling braver about it than maybe Arthur had felt. Still, the fact that Arthur had made such an attempt to display his affection made his heart race and do leaps of joy. He was more than willing to share his own affection.

He pulled away slowly and then wrapped his arms around Arthur, squeezing him tightly, maybe a little too tightly. "Don't apologize. I'm really happy. That means you really like me right?"

Arthur couldn't believe Alfred had kissed him back. He was blushing madly and his brain hadn't completely recovered from the daze he had felt from kissing the dragon. It took him a second to realize that Alfred had asked him a question. "Yes… I admit that I have… grown quite fond of you." He stared at his hands bashfully. "Um, does this mean… you like me too?"

Alfred shook his head, apparently frightening Arthur with the response. "Uh...no. I don't like you." He looked away and blushed, scratching the side of his face lightly with a finger. "Well, I mean, what I mean to say is that I love you...or something like that." He smiled rather shyly at Arthur, surprisingly not like his usual confident personality. "Sorry. I'm really kind of bad with words ya know?"

Arthur felt his heart swell at those words. He couldn't help but smile at Alfred's shy demeanor. It was new and it looked adorable on him.

Arthur shyly kissed Alfred's cheek. "Yes, well your English overall is atrocious. But I'm glad you said what you did. I love you too."

"I didn't mean being bad with words in that way," Alfred replied, pursing his lips in a sulking manner. He blushed and squeezed Arthur closely again. "I'm glad~!"

Arthur laughed at Alfred pout and let himself be held tightly in the dragons arms. "It's alright, I've grown used to your horrendous version of the English language." He teased lightly. He pulled back to look at Alfred. "Now lets go back inside, I believe that there is a Healing Potion I must teach you how to brew."

Alfred smiled warmly and nodded. "Well, I do believe we'll need some scales then. Give me a second for that." He moved away from Arthur and shifted to his dragon form. He lowered his head to nudge Arthur's chest gently and then turned away to take four scales from his tail, which didn't hurt him at all since they were already about to fall out. He gently placed them in Arthur's palm and then shifted back to his human form. "Well, there ya go. That should be enough right? I can always give you more if need be, but..." He followed the knight back into the building humming to himself, happy that Arthur was finally going to teach him what he wanted to learn.

"This is the perfect amount." Arthur informed Alfred. While walking into the building he admired the scales in his hand. They were a brilliant blue color that shined bright like sapphires and they smooth to the touch.

"You can start boiling half a pot of water while I gather the rest of the ingredients." Arthur instructed. He carefully put the scales on the table and set out to collect the supplies.

"Okay!" Alfred chirped. He ran off to the other room where he knew there was water by now. After the mistake he'd made in the river, he wasn't going to repeat that again. He brought the water and poured it into the cauldron before lighting the wood underneath it. He watched the water as it slowly started to heat up, thinking about what Arthur had told him about the knights and what they'd been taught. His kind was being hunted down because of a rumor that their scales were a cure-all. It angered him. His family could be killed for their scales when the humans could just ask for them? If they had come up with a compromise instead...maybe things wouldn't have ended up this way. Maybe then humans and dragons (and other magical creatures) could get along better.

Arthur carefully walked over to the table with his arms full of different jars and bottles. He was doing his best to balance the goods; he had gotten all the ingredients in one go to avoid making a second trip around the room. He made it to the table without dropping any of the items and placed them down with a triumphant smirk. "Alright, I have everything we need. Now we can star… Alfred are you alright?" Arthur paused when he noticed the Dragon had a thoughtful look on his face.

Alfred looked up quickly, not having realized that he was so deep in thought. He smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing. Was just thinking about something. Don't worry about it." He walked back to Arthur and looked at all the ingredients there, recognizing a few. "No slugs right?"

"No. No slugs. So sorry to disappoint you." Arthur said sarcastically. "But we will be starting off with this." He held up a bottle of red liquid that was tightly sealed. "It's salamander blood and I have to warn you it smells dreadful."

Alfred grimaced. "Ew! Those are worse than the slugs!" he exclaimed, already dreading the smell of the potion. "I don't think any kind of mint will make that smell go away...We tend to avoid Salamanders cuz the stink really bad."

"Don't worry. It'll only smell for a minute." Arthur said reassuringly before pulling out a second bottle. "The smell gets diluted when we add the pomegranate juice." He opened the bottle to let the sweet aroma fill the air.

Alfred sniffed the air, taking in the scent of the pomegranate and then sneezed (though luckily he didn't set anything on fire). He sniffled and then grinned. "Well, that's good then. Cuz I really don't want to start feeling sick."

"Alright then." Arthur handed Alfred the salamander blood. "You're going to want to hurry because of the smell but you mustn't. Pour it slowly into the cauldron until it mixes with the water and is slightly thick."

Alfred whined quietly but did as he was told. He opened the the bottle and nearly gagged at the smell. He was currently preferring the smell of the slugs and he never thought that would happen. He poured it slowly into the water, wanting to just dump it in as quickly as he could to get rid of the smell. "This smells so horrible...why do you knights use the most disgusting ingredients?"

"All the ingredients we use hold some sort of magical property." Arthur explained. He held the second bottle towards Alfred once the liquid had reach the right consistency. "Here. It's ready for the pomegranate juice. Pour it in until it turns a light pink color." Arthur instructed. "And make sure to stir while you pour."

Alfred nodded again, happy that this time it wasn't something bad smelling that he was putting in the mixture. He let it pour into the bloodied water and stirred the juice in as it turned the mixture from a deadened rust color to a rosey pink. "Well, it doesn't smell nearly as bad now, but it still kind of stinks. What else do we have to put in it besides my scales? And do we have to do anything to them? Cuz if we do you might wanna leave that to me so you don't hurt yourself."

"We won't have to handle the scales until a little later." Arthur answered. He handed Alfred a jar and knife. "Here. You will need to cut 4 sopohorous beans in half and add them to the potion. Cut them carefully. Make sure they keep in their juices."

Alfred took the knife in hand and set the beans next to him, carefully making sure they were settled before he went to cut them. It didn't take long, a couple of minutes at most, but that was because he was making sure to cut them very carefully. He then tossed the eight halves into the mixture before going back to Arthur and closing the jar of the beans. "So what next?"

"Next add 1/2 a cup of shredded boomslang. Then mix together until the mixture turns a peach color." Arthur said. He was very pleased with how well Alfred was brewing the potion.

"Mmkay." Alfred replied. He gathered the ingredients and prepared them as he was told to and then paused. "Hey Artie? Do you think things could have gone differently between knights and dragons? Like...if instead of killing us for our scales, we worked out a trade of some sort?"

Arthur paused to think Alfred's question over. Looking at Alfred, Arthur wondered why anyone would want to kill someone so innocent and full of good intent. He shivered at the thought of someone wanting to harm him for his scales. He knew if anyone just took the time to know the kind hearted dragon then no one would want to kill him.

"I think it's quite possible. If only we had gotten to know you Dragons better. We never would have even entertained the thought of causing you any harm." Arthur said solemnly. He passed two more jars to Alfred and gave him more instructions of what to do.

Alfred did as instructed and remained silent as he did so until he was finished. He looked back at Arthur, blue eyes dark and solemn. "Do you think that could be fixed at all now? We're getting along aren't we? Why can't anyone else?"

Arthur bit his lip. "Well… maybe if I talked to the King I could convince him into negotiating with the Dragons… a Dragon hasn't been slayed in years, so I know he is desperate for more scales." Arthur answered thoughtfully. "But what of you and your fellow Dragons? I'm not sure if they would be as understanding as you are… and who exactly would we negotiate with? Do you have someone who deals with these matters?" Arthur asked while gathering the last of the ingredients.

This question stumped Alfred. He hadn't thought about that at all. What _would_ they say? They, as a species, had been hunted down and murdered for their scales. How would they take such a proposal?

"I never thought about that..." Alfred confessed honestly, moving back to Arthur for the last ingredients. "We have a council of Elder Dragons that we look to for guidance but I don't know if they'll listen to someone like me who is essentially a hatchling in their eyes. But...I think we can only hope to try..." He hugged Arthur and leaned his face into the soft blond hair. "I don't want everything to be like this anymore. I want humans and Dragons to get along so we can be together again."

Arthur leaned into the hug. "I want us to be together too." He said quietly. He looked up at Alfred. "I'll talk to the King tonight. The royals have always trusted my family. I'm sure I can convince him to at least hold a meeting with your Elders."

Alfred nodded slowly and sighed. "I'll go to my elders then. There is a meeting tonight anyways that everyone is supposed to go to. I shall talk to them there." He pulled away and then stroked Arthur's face softly, eyes showing worry. "Please be careful. Remember that we are proposing something that is taboo in both our cultures. Just don't get yourself hurt."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He put his hand atop of Alfred's and leaned into the touch. He suddenly felt very concerned about Alfred going to reason with all those big powerful Dragons. "I'm more concerned about you so… be careful."

Arthur reluctantly pulled away to grab a vile of black liquid. "Here. We only need two of the scales. So pour one drop of acromantula venom on each one then drop it into the mixture."

Alfred frowned, knowing that Arthur had reason to worry about him. Dragons, while typically not too aggressive with one another, were still fierce fighters that didn't back down until somebody willingly gave up or died. "I'll be fine." he said to the Knight, but he wasn't sure who he was trying to persuade; himself or Arthur.

He carefully poured the venom onto the scales and then tossed them into the bubbling potion, wincing at the hissing noise the scales made as they practically fell apart.

Arthur watched the potion bubble and hiss until it stilled and turned white with hints of a rainbow-hue. The colors always reminded Arthur of an opal.

He turned to smile at the Dragon. "Congratulations. You have successfully made your first healing potion."

Arthur pulled out an empty bottle and poured the mixture into it before handing it over to Alfred. "Here. Put it to good use." Arthur only hoped that Alfred would not have to use the potion anytime soon.

Alfred smiled a somber smile, having the same worries that Arthur did. What if he would have to use this on Arthur or himself because of the proposals they were going to make. "Hey Artie, those two scales...you can keep them if you'd like. I mean, it's not like I'm going to need them at all. So if you just want to have them or something..." He blushed lightly and scratched his head. "Maybe they'll bring you some luck or something."

Arthur smiled softly at the dragon. "Thank you…" Arthur raised his hands to his neck and lifted a chain that was hiding beneath his clothes. "Um… I want you to take this… it's tradition for Knights to give gems to their loved ones. This was my mothers. So… maybe this could be your lucky charm." Arthur now had a blush that matched Alfred's.

The chain was silver and the pendant was an emerald wrapped in more silver to make it into the shape of a leaf.

Alfred's eyes widened and he took the chain and pendant into his hands, treating it as if it would break with the slightest touch. "W-wow. You really wanna give this to me Artie? Are ya sure? Like really sure? I mean...this is something important to you isn't it?" He gently brushed the silver leaf and looked at Arthur, still seeming shocked. "This means a lot to me! I'll take REALLY good care of it! I promise!"

"Of course I'm sure!" Arthur looked away blushing harder. "Like I said… it's for me to give to someone I love."

Alfred grinned, feeling happier than ever and slipped the chain around his neck, accepting the charm. "Then think of my scales in the same way. You're the only one I'll give them to!" He pulled Arthur close and pressed a kiss to his lips gratefully. "Thanks Artie. I'll treasure it more than anything else (besides you)."

Arthur smiled into the kiss. He wanted to forget about talking with the King and stay in Alfred's arms forever. But he knew he couldn't do that. Talking to the king would not only benefit him and Alfred but also the Kingdom and the Dragons too. He pulled back from Alfred to stare into his eyes. "Be careful."

Alfred nodded, expression becoming more solemn and kissed Arthur again, mostly just for the hell of it. "You too. I'll come hunting you down if I need to protect you from anyone. Make sure to keep the scales on you. They'll let me know where you are, should I ever need to find you." He clasped Arthur's shoulders tightly and then loosened his grip. "I guess...I guess we should go now then."

"I guess so…" Arthur took a deep breath and put on a strong face for Alfred. He took the scales off the table and carefully placed them in his bag. "I'll keep them with me… let's try to meet back here tomorrow. Same time so we can know if anything goes wrong."

Alfred nodded, starting to feel his heart pound with anxiety. How would this all go? What if one side agreed but the other didn't? What if neither side agreed? What if Arthur got hurt because the humans didn't agree with him and wanted to hurt him? "Good luck Artie. I hope everything goes well so we don't have to worry anymore..." He turned away and walked out of the room and the building before standing outside for a few moments to stare at the sky worriedly. He sighed before shifting to his true form and taking off back to his home, to where all the problems would begin.

Arthur walked outside just in time to watch Alfred fly away. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest. He prayed that Alfred wouldn't run into any trouble.

Arthur was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a nudge on his back. The Knight turned to find Rhubarb waiting impatiently like he always did during his and Alfred's potion lessons. "Come on Rhubarb. Let's go home." Arthur had to have faith in Alfred and hope he would return to him.

* * *

Alfred went to his cave first. The meeting of the elders wasn't for a while and he didn't want to fly to the meeting grounds immediately and have to wait for everyone to get there. The elders always arrived last so he didn't want to go until they were all there. He yawned and stretched when he landed then started to look around, trying to figure out where he could stash the potion. It was something that was pretty rare and difficult to make (he knew that himself now) and decided to stash it into a rather unnoticeable crack in the wall, slightly hidden by some rocks.

He then turned his attention to the necklace which was securely latched onto a scale on his neck since the metal couldn't possibly stretch to fit around his whole neck. He shifted to his human form and sat on the ground with a thump, holding the emerald and silver necklace in front of him so he could get a better look at it. He grinned and hugged it to his chest excitedly, trying not to let himself squeal with happiness. He'd gotten a gift from Arthur!

"I can't believe Artie really gave this to me!"

"Well...you certainly look happy. But...Who's Artie?"

Alfred laid down on the floor so he could look at his brother who walked into the cave with a wry smile, apparently having arrived and changed forms when he wasn't paying attention.

"I didn't think you'd find yourself someone with that personality and behavior of yours." Matthew teased before his gaze turned to the necklace and became cold. "Alfred...who gave that to you? Did a dragon steal that from a knight or...?"

Alfred frowned and rolled over to his stomach, pulling the necklace over his neck, hopefully so it wouldn't be snatched away. "Artie gave it to me..."

"Who is this Artie? I don't know of any dragon by that name." Matthew replied, eyes narrowing. He stalked over to Alfred and pulled the pendant up off his brother's chest so he could look at it better. "This is a knight's pendant. I would recognize that leaf symbol anywhere. Alfred... where did this come from? Stop beating around the bush and tell me."

Alfred remained silent, nervously looking away.

"He's a human isn't he?"

Alfred didn't look at his brother's accusing violet eyes and nodded slowly.

"Alfred! How could you?!" Matthew snapped, shoving Alfred in the chest harshly. "Humans are our enemy! They slaughter us for our scales to use them to make their potions and for trinkets that they carelessly toss around to their own pleasing. How can you associate with, let alone befriend one?! He's not just any human either! He's a knight! The ones that are directly responsible for our kin losing their lives! Did you forget what they did to us? How they took away our loved ones? My mate?! Our parents?! Once is never enough for them! They have made it an honor for them to murder us! It's considered a privilege!"

"I know that!" Alfred snapped, looking back at his sibling just as fiercely. "But Artie isn't like them! He hasn't hurt me at all! He was even nice to me since I saved him after he fell from his horse!"

"You saved him?! He should've died Alfred! You should've gotten rid of the knight so that less of us would suffer! Or do we not matter to you?" Matthew snarled, eyes glowing a dangerous violet color.

"That's not how it all is! Arthur doesn't want to hurt us! Imagine if we could actually get along with the humans, Mattie?" Alfred retorted quickly with no hesitation. "Imagine if we didn't have to worry about who's a dragon and who's a human! There's so much we could teach each other! Artie's been teaching me how to make potions to help people! I learned how to make a healing potion! He taught me something to help others, something that isn't a spell to destroy! Mattie, we dragons have nothing to use to heal. We only have things to destroy. But I've learned from a human, my Artie, how to heal. Isn't that something, Matthew?"

Matthew was silent, but his fury seemed to have only for each word Alfred spoke. "You obviously don't get the severity of what you've done. We're going to the meeting and I'm turning you in for betrayal of your kin." His voice became shaky as he spoke and tears filled his eyes, making Alfred feel slightly guilty for making his brother cry. "I love you Alfred. You're my brother, my one and only brother. But you've gotten yourself into something that you shouldn't have. And I can no longer help you. The elders will decide what judgement they will pass on you. We're leaving now." He leaned forward and snatched the chain from Alfred's neck, the blue dragon protesting loudly as the chain snapped. "I'm keeping this as evidence for the elders."

He grabbed Alfred's hand after storing the necklace, Alfred's most important treasure, and dragged him out of the cave before he shifted into his dragon form, his violet and gold scales seeming to reflect his mood with their dark and murky color. He didn't let Alfred change and instead carried him in his claws, not bothering to look at the blonde.

The two flew a great distance as the sun lowered in the sky and the moon rose to take its place. When Matthew landed in the area deigned the meeting arena, he let Alfred settle onto his feet on the ground, but made sure that he didn't take off. Not that Alfred would since Matthew had the necklace. There was already a great number of the dragons in the area and they were waiting to hear the elders speak, the two old dragons sitting in their spot in the center of the area.

Romulus (Rome if you couldn't guess), the large golden dragon, sat with a slightly slouched posture, seeing as he had a more lax personality. Folkert (Germania if you couldn't guess), the large silver dragon, sat with a straighter, more regal posture, seeming to command the attention of the other dragons with his charismatic presence.

"The meeting will now begin." Folkert spoke, effectively silencing all the other Dragons. "Is there anyone who would like to speak first?"

Matthew immediately stepped forward, steps shaky as well as his breathing. "I would, sir."

Folkert and Romulus both nodded their acknowledgement of the statement, allowing Matthew to step into the center of the arena.

Matthew took a deep breath and Alfred watched solemnly, not moving from the spot Matthew had left him in. "I would like to charge Alfred with the betrayal of his kin."

Their was a loud collective gasp from the audience, murmurs immediately sweeping through the crowd.

"This is a serious charge Matthew. Not only that, but he is your brother, kin of blood." Romulus commented curtly. "What reasons and evidence do you have for this accusation?"

"To make such an accusation and for it to not be true would lead to a very serious consequence for you." Folkert added.

Matthew shifted to his human form and pulled out the necklace, holding it up for everyone to see. "Here, in my hands, I hold the symbol of the human's knights. This pendant was in the possession of my brother, however he did not take it from a deceased knight. It was given to him by a knight that he claims to have befriended."

There was another horrified collection of gasps followed by deathly silence.

"Not only does he claim to have befriended this human, but he has also learned potion-making from this human after saving its life. He gave up scales for those humans' healing potion, which requires the use of our scales. The reason we are so often hunted down and murdered. He then said that he wishes to cooperate with the humans. He wants us to "get along" with them. From what I can tell, he has fallen in love with that human."

It remained silent, the tension in the air being so thick, you could practically feel it.

Romulus and Folkert seemed to be rather upset by the news and turned to Alfred, who shrunk back at the cold stares.

"Alfred, child of Emily and Will, come forward." Folkert commanded, obviously giving Alfred no choice in the matter.

Alfred stepped into the center area where his brother stood, not willing to look at him. He tried to ignore the disgusted looks from the others and clenched his hands into fists, his knuckles turning white with the tension. "Sir."

"The accusation that has been presented to us," Romulus spoke, "is this true?"

Alfred took in a deep breathe before answering. "Yes. All of it is true."

"You gave a human your scales, willingly? You rescued that human, learned its magics, as well as fell in love with it?" the golden elder asked.

"Yes, I did. And, excuse me, but Arthur is not an it. Arthur is not an object. He has a gender and a name. I would like you to use it so as to remain respectful." Alfred spoke venomously, not hesitating to defend the knight.

It was icy cold, the atmosphere. Alfred knew that he had done a serious crime by talking back, as well as speaking in a dismissive and superior tone, to the elders. He was only getting himself into more and more trouble by admitting his "crimes" as well as defending them.

The two elders were silent for what seemed like an eternity before nodding at each other. "Your crimes are dire, Alfred. You have not only betrayed your kin, but have allied yourself with our enemy, claiming to love him."

"There's so much we can learn from them, though!" Alfred protested heatedly, not willing to leave without having gotten his ideas out. "As our elders, you know better than anyone else that our magic can only destroy things. The humans have the ability to teach us how to use magic and potions to heal and fix things! Isn't that something we should take into consideration? I learned how to heal! That's something we've never been able to do for so long! Why won't you give us a chance to cooperate with-"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Romulus roared, not willing to listen to anymore. "We can obviously see where your heart lies. You are hereby exiled from our kin. You may no longer call yourself of the Windsong tribe. Your betrayal is so severe that the sentencing calls for death. However, instead of us carrying out this sentencing, we shall leave it to those humans you seem to love so much. Let them show you what their opinion of our species is. Let them slay you and harvest your body for what disgusting things they do. We are finished here."

The silver Dragon stepped over to Alfred and muttered a spell, forcing Alfred back to his dragon form before using another to freeze his movements.

The last thing Alfred saw was a golden tail slam into his face before everything went black.

* * *

Arthur road back into the stables feeling elated after the day's events. It still felt dreamlike to him. He never thought Alfred would love him the way he loved Alfred. And they never would have met if it wasn't for his skittish horse.

Arthur dismounted Rhubarb and lead him to his stall. He pet the animal and gave it a thankful smile. "Isn't it funny how life works out? If it wasn't for your cowardice I never would have met Alfred."

"Who's Alfred?!"

Arthur jumped back to find Francis standing at the stalls entrance. He had a displeased look on his face and he was still wearing his armor from the day's tasks.

"None of your business frog." Arthur feigned irritation to hide his nervousness. He finished putting Rhubarb's things away hoping Francis would just go away. He had no such luck.

"It's my business when you start neglecting your duties!" Francis snapped. "You completely skipped them today and I was the one who had to fill in. This isn't like you! Exactly what have you been up to these past few weeks?"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to inconvenience you." Arthur said feeling a bit guilty. "I'll do better in the future, but really… it isn't any of your business were I go." Arthur pushed pass his fuming friend.

"I'm not finished talking to you Arthur!" Francis went to pull Arthur back and grabbed the strap of his bag, causing it to rip and letting its contents fall onto the floor. Including Alfred's scales.

Time seemed to move slowly when Francis' eyes fell on the blue scales.

"… Where did you get those?" He asked in an eerily calm voice.

"I… found them in the forest."

"Do not try that with me." Francis snapping his head up in annoyance. "I know what a terrible liar you are. Now I want the truth. Where did you get those scales?!"

Arthur knew he had no choice but to tell his friend the truth. But surely Francis would understand. They had been friends for so long.

"A few weeks ago, when the thunder storm hit, I was thrown off my horse. I hit my head and passed out. The forest around me had caught fire but Alfred had found me and saved me. So to repay him I have been giving him potions lessons since he never learned."

"Alright, that explains where you have been running off to these past few weeks." Francis still looked a bit upset. "But where did you get the scales?"

"Well, Alfred really wanted to learn how to make a healing potion so that he could help others." Arthur explained. He was dreading telling him the next bit. "…So he shed the scales we needed to brew the potion."

"Shed?!" Francis's eyes grew wide in anger and horror. "Are you telling me that Alfred is a dragon?!"

"Yes but they're not anything like what we thought they were!" Arthur frantically tried explaining. "They are good kindhearted creatures! If we just talked to them instead of killing them in cold blood then we could all live peacefu…"

"Stop it! Do you even hear yourself?!" Francis cut across Arthur. "They are hideous beasts whose only purpose is to cause destruction! And your off teaching one of these monsters how to brew potions?! Have you completely lost your mind?!"

"Alfred is not a monster!" Arthur yelled back angrily. "He only wants to help others. He has showed me nothing but kindness and care. He has better morals than you and all the other Knights in this kingdo…"

**_SMACK_**

Arthur fell to the ground. His cheek stung where Francis slapped him. No doubt that would leave a bruise. He looked up and saw a cold look on Francis' face.

"How dare you." He said keeping his icy glare. "How could you say something so… so contemptuous?! You are _not_ going back there. You will forget that you ever met that creature and continue to serve your people."

At this Arthur rose to his feet shaking with anger. "Who are you to order me around? We haven't done anything wrong." Arthur wouldn't stand for this. He turned to storm out. He needed to see the King now and convince him to negotiate with the Dragons, but he was prevented from doing so when he was pinned to one of the pillars by Francis.

"And just where do you think you are you going?" He questioned irritably.

"I'm going to talk to the King. I know that if we just tried talking with the Dragons then there would be no need for killings." Arthur snapped. He glared furiously at his friend and didn't realize until that moment that there was sadness behind those angry eyes.

"Arthur I'm sorry. But I can't let you do that. I cant let you endanger our people like this."

Arthur felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Then everything went black.

* * *

Francis felt bitter. He didn't understand why his friend would betray their people… betray him! All for the sake of a filthy dragon. Creatures that destroyed and took away everything he loved…

Although he hated to admit it, Francis cared deeply for his bushy browed friend, even if they tend to fight a lot. They grew up together and were taught the same values. So how was it that Arthur could throw all his morals out the window to aid a monster?

"What has been done with Arthur?"

Francis was broken out of his thoughts when he was questioned by the King.

After he had turned Arthur over to the King's guards, he reported to the thrown room to tell the King of Arthur's betrayal.

"He has been sent to the dungeons." Francis answered mournfully. "We gave him a sleeping draught so he won't be able to attempt escape during the night."

"Good." The King looked drained. "I don't know what to do with him. He had always been one of our best knights."

"… I think I know how we can fix this mess." Francis said carefully. "If we play this right, we can have our old knight back and get rid of that troublesome dragon. But first we will need to capture it."

The King nodded in agreement, willing to try anything to have things put back to the way they were. "Alright, you have my permission to do what needs to be done. Did he tell you where he meets this dragon?"

"No… but I have a pretty good idea where." Francis replied looking down at the blue scales in his hand. He would get his old friend back and he would get rid of that filthy dragon forever.

* * *

**Oh no! What is Francis going to do?! You'll all just have to find out in the next chapter.**

**Please leave a review to let us know what you think. n_n**

******Also, don't forget to check out Yamiyo. Darknight's other stories. The link to her FF is on my profile.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hola people! Sorry about the cliffhanger Yamiyo and I left (not really… ;D) but here is Chapter 4 for you all. We hope you enjoy.**

**Yamiyo. Darknight is Alfred and all the other dragon characters **

**And I am Arthur, Vash, and the Knightly characters.**

**Niether of us owns Hetalia.**

* * *

"I'm hungry! Hey, Franny! When are we gonna eat?"

"Shut up, Mathias. We haven't even been out long."

"But Lukas! I should be eating my second breakfast right now!"

"You eat two breakfasts?! But you ate enough to feed a troll this morning!"

"Well I wouldn't expect a little guy like you to understand why I need to eat so much, Tino. But maybe Mr. Grumpy-Face over there can explain it to you. He eats just as much I do, and I swear I saw his jaw unhinge like a snakes when he … "

SMACK

"OW! I know you did that on purpose Berwald! Hey Franny! Are you just gonna let him get away with hitting me like that?"

"Would you all just shut up?!" Francis yelled out in frustration.

He had been walking around the woods all morning with these four irritating knights trying to find that blasted dragon. He would have gone off on his own but he would need help bringing the dragon back if he ended up finding it.

"Geez you don't have to yell." Mathias pouted.

"He wouldn't need to yell if you weren't such a loud obnoxious idiot." Lukas replied in a bored voice.

"I don't have a loud voice!" Mathais exclaimed. "And when do we get a break?! I'm exhausted. We haven't stopped all morning."

"I'm also getting a bit tired." Tino admitted.

Berwald patted Tino's head and nodded in agreement.

Francis rubbed is forehead to try and rid himself of an oncoming headache. "Look." He said glaring the four men down. "How about you all rest here for moment while I go ahead." _And then I can have some peace and quiet_ he thought to himself.

"Finally!" Mathais dropped all of his supplies and plopped on the ground.

"Do you think it's wise for you to go off by yourself?" Lukas questioned. "After all there may be more than one dragon in the area."

"I'll be fine." Francis said exasperatedly. He was already continuing to walk on. "I'll just scout around the area."

The other knights (besides Mathias) shared a brief look of concern but decided to let Francis go.

Francis didn't feel tired at all from all the walking he had been doing. He was fueled by bitterness and anger. It wasn't so much that he was angry at Arthur's betrayal… he was more upset about the way Arthur talked about the damned creature. He never showed so much passion for anything else in his life. Not even his duties which, until recently, Arthur held to a high standard. Arthur sounded like he… was in love with the creature.

Ugh! Why would Arthur choose such a disgusting creature over him?! What was so special about that beast anyways? It was just an overgrown lizard.

"I'll make sure that dragon suffers before it dies." He muttered to himself.

* * *

Alfred opened his eyes slowly with a groan wondering where he was and why he was still alive. Damn that Romulus could really pack a punch. That still hurt like hell. He tried to move his arm to check for injuries and realized that he was still paralyzed.

Well...that's not good.

He looked around, still at least able to move his eyes. The forest was familiar so he had a vague idea of where he was. Unfortunately, it wasn't too far from human-occupied territory. He huffed and tried to move again. Nothing.

He heard a soft clinking noise and felt metal around a scale by his throat. He recognized the feeling and realized it was the pendant Arthur had given him. Had his brother snuck it back on him?

He sighed and closed his eyes, resigned to whatever fate had in store for him.

Francis paused when he heard a noise. It didn't sound like a growl, but something close to it… A groan? A sigh?

He quietly made his way towards the source of the noise. He didn't have to walk far to find what it was.

Lying in the woods was a dragon. But not just any dragon. Francis pulled the scales out of his pouch and, sure enough, they were the same color as the dragon's before him.

Francis clutched the scales in one hand and pulled out his sword in the other. He took a deep breath and lunged out in front of the dragon ready to fight.

Alfred's eyes snapped open hoping to get a glimpse of the one he really wanted to see at the moment. Not finding it to be Arthur, his heart dropped. This man had to be a knight as well though, seeing as he had the armor and the sword of one.

Oh, I'm sure this is just making his day. He just found a dragon offered up on a silver platter. I would've liked to have seen Artie one more time at least. He turned his gaze away from Francis, wanting to laugh at the fact that the knight seemed to think he could fight. But he couldn't so much as wiggle a single claw. He was stuck, laying on the ground. A sitting goose.

Francis braced himself for the dragon's first attack, but none came. "Aren't you going to fight me?!" He demanded. It still didn't move.

Francis carefully walked up to the creature and kicked it before jumping back and readying his sword again for an attack… still nothing.

Well the dragon was looking at him so he knew it wasn't dead. Was it possible that it was unable to move?

"Well you certainly are a worthless creature." Francis sneered. "Of course I already knew this, but I still expected to see a little something more with the way Arthur talks about you."

_Yea, well, if I could move, you'd be on the other side of the forest right now, wishing you had no bones._ He wanted to taunt. Yes, he was rather worthless at the moment, wasn't he? What dragon could be called a dragon when they couldn't even move? When they couldn't protect themselves or the ones they loved.

Wait.

He'd just said Arthur's name. He knew Arthur?!

He struggled to try and sit up, try and speak to ask how he knew Arthur and where he was. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Did the plan go well on his side?

But then again, considering his current situation, it couldn't have gone well at all.

Francis noticed that the dragon shifted ever so slightly at the mention at Arthur's name. He narrowed his eyes.

"Humph. You look more pathetic than I thought you would. And to think Arthur would throw away his title and his freedom away for something as vile as you."

Alfred's eyes widened with shock. He did what?! He'd given up being a knight for him? For the sake of their forbidden relationship? They hadn't hurt him had they? Or...they hadn't killed him?

He felt himself go cold at the thought of Arthur being dead. He didn't want that to happen. He didn't. Alfred would rather that anything happen to himself than Arthur. He struggled against the spell the elder had placed on him but wasn't successful. He panted softly, wondering what this knight would do to him now.

Francis smirked hearing the dragon struggle. "You have gotten my dear friend in a lot of trouble. He has committed high treason by associating with you. Which is punishable by death." He continued. "I don't want to see my friend die… but then again it would be worse to see him in the arms of some monster." Francis bitterly kicked the side of the creatures head. "He shouldn't be fawning over a disgusting beast like you."

Alfred didn't so much as wince since the kick didn't hurt him with his solid scales protecting him. He did growl lowly in his throat though, not caring about what was said about him, but warning the knight to stop talking so lowly about his Arthur. But now he knew why this knight was so enraged. He'd stolen his love, a dragon had stolen Francis' rose, and he knew it.

He wasn't going to speak to Francis, figuring it would only enrage him more so, but decided against it anyways. "It's hurts, doesn't it, Mr. Knight? But maybe if you and the others hadn't bullied him so much he wouldn't have strayed off. He told me about you, how you and the other knights like to make fun of him and his habits. What makes you think he could ever love someone like that? Someone who ridicules him and belittles him. I've never hurt Artie like that. I love everything that he does and how he acts and how he speaks. Never once have I made fun of him. He has my respect as a knight, and my respect as a human being. He is more of a golden-hearted knight than any of you will ever be!"

Francis was hoping to make the dragon upset but now found himself enraged. He knew what the dragon said was true and it left him feeling sour. "Just because I show my affections differently doesn't mean you care for him more than I do. I grew up with him and we acted like siblings. I know how strong he is which is why I poke and prod at him. I admire seeing him act out on that strong nature. It's just the way we grew up together." Francis replied coldly to the dragon. "But I wouldn't really expect you to understand. You can't even see that Arthur isn't a true knight anymore. His traitorous actions de-ranked him. So don't compare him to us Knights who still hold our title."

"I see him as a knight because he is one." Alfred responded, sounding certain. "Having the title of knight doesn't make you one. You and the others have proven that much. Arthur is a knight because he is courageous and treats people fairly, even when they aren't the same species. He is a knight because he is willing to stand up for what he thinks is right, even when others don't."

He paused to glare at Francis before continuing. "You don't continuously test someone's nerves by taunting them all the time. You treat them kindly, which is what we have done for each other. Can you honestly tell me that you've treated him more kindly than I have? I saved his life when he fell from his horse instead of killing him like some human thieves would. I could have burned him alive with my flames, but I didn't. When he was recovered, I didn't kill him or eat him.

You drive him away with your incessant taunting and then you act as if I am the monster. Am I really the monster here? Or are you? The one who has hurt him."

Francis couldn't take anymore of this. The dragon's words stung and caused his heart to clench. "I don't even know why I am wasting my time talking to you. Your words don't matter. Especially since you will be dead soon."

Off in the distance, Francis could hear his name being called. Well it was about time those useless Knights came to assist him.

Francis called back to them letting them know where he was before turning back to the dragon. He had a sly smile on his face.

"My comrades and I will bring you back into Hetalia and you will be executed there."

Alfred snorted a dry laugh, smoke drifting from his nostrils. "Even if I am dead, gone from the scene, don't think it'll mean that he'll love you any for it." He commented, lips stretching into his own sly grin.

"He'll forget you in time." Francis said although he felt like he was saying it more for himself than for the dragon. "And I doubt he will be very upset with me. After all, I won't be the one slaying you."

Alfred snorted again, not showing the hurt that comment made. Arthur wouldn't forget him would he? He'd given him that necklace after all. He still had it. He sighed and stared at the bush in front of his face, waiting for Francis to come back with the other knights.

Hopefully, Arthur wouldn't be too sad when he was gone.

* * *

Arthur woke up hearing a loud banging noise. He kept his eyes closed and tried his best to ignore it. He was still tired and his body felt too heavy.

They must have given me a Sleeping Draught Arthur thought. He was lying uncomfortably on a cold stone floor. Arthur rolled onto his back to lay in a somewhat more comfortable position but hissed when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and his cheek felt swollen.

'_Oh that's right. I had gotten into a fight with that bloody frog._' Arthur remembered.

Last night had gone so horribly wrong and he never got to bring up his proposal about negotiating with the dragons to the King. Arthur's thoughts wandered off to Alfred. He wondered if Alfred had better luck than himself. He truly hoped so. It made Arthur feel sick to think about what might have happened to Alfred if things didn't go to well on his side.

The banging continued and a harsh voice demanded, "Wake up now or I'll come in there and drag you out."

Arthur finally opened his eyes to find himself in a dirty dungeon. Well, that would explain the cool damp floor.

The cell door was open and standing there was the head of the King's Royal Guard, Vash.

"It's about time you woke up. The King has summoned you for your trial." Vash said once he saw he had Arthur's attention.

"Trial?" Arthur questioned as he rose shakily to his feet. He was still coming off the effects of the Sleeping Draught and his head was feeling slightly fuzzy.

"Yes trial." Vash said showing clear annoyance. "I'm supposed to escort you and they want you there immediately."

Arthur began following Vash out of the dungeons still feeling a bit confused. "Why am I being put on trial? I haven't done anything wrong."

"I don't know what fantasy world you're living in, Kirkland, but here in the real world it is considered high treason for a Knight to teach a dragon magic." Vash answered.

They walked on in silence while Arthur thought about the predicament he was in. By the looks of it, Francis must have told the King about his potion lessons with Alfred and now he was being charged for committing a crime against his people. Damn it! If only Arthur had spoken to the King first! Then he wouldn't be in trouble and the King would be considering negotiating with the dragons… Maybe he could still talk to the King at his trial. The King had to hear Arthur out anyways since he would be standing on trial. Maybe he still had a chance.

They had made it to the court house but Vash continued to lead Arthur pass the building. "I thought you said I was going on trial. Where are we going?"

"You are going on trial." Vash said in a stern voice. "But no one has ever committed such a heinous crime before. So your trial will be held differently."

"Differently? How so?" Arthur questioned furrowing his eyebrows. He had an unsettling feeling in his stomach.

"I'm not supposed to say just yet." Vash answered.

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh. "Well then where is my trial being held? Can you tell me that much?"

Vash cast Arthur a sideways glance as if pondering over whether he should tell him or not. Finally he answered. "In the Battle Arena."

* * *

Alfred was wishing that he could move, that he could find Arthur. The knights that came back with Francis had all been fearful of him until the knight had explained he couldn't move. They'd then all bound him in unbreakable magical chains, preventing any other movement they apparently thought possible. He couldn't protest at all, it was a pointless waste of energy.

But when they dragged him into a coliseum, he began to wonder what could possibly be planned for him. Were they planning to have someone else off him? If so, who?

He looked around with his limited eye movement and noticed that people were already sitting in the ringed seats, staring down at him with the same disgust he'd seen in the eyes of his kin at the meeting of the elders.

What was in store for him now?

* * *

Arthur was pulled into the armor room and immediately people began to suit him up in flimsy armor that would give him almost no protection. (Although they cast him dirty looks as they did so.) The Knights usually performed tasks and held fights against one another to entertain the people.

"I don't understand what's going on!" Arthur growled at Vash in frustration. "What does any of this have to do with my trial?! Are you just expecting me to believe that the King wants me to participate in silly little games for such a serious trial!"

"The King isn't here." Vash said simply.

"…What?" Arthur stared at the guard incredulously. "How is this trial supposed to work without an evaluator?"

"The King is far to busy to deal with traitors like you." Once Arthur was suited, Vash dismissed the other people from the room. He then turned his attention back to Arthur. "You will be expected to fight to gain your title back. A fight to the death to be precise."

"This isn't a trial!" Arthur's voice cracked in fear. Everyone knew how terrible he was at combat. "You've basically already condemned me to death!" He would never get to see Alfred again. He didn't even know if his heroic dragon was safe or not.

"Don't worry. I doubt your opponent will be able to fight, so you are already at an advantage." Vash walked Arthur to the wooden doors that led out to the arena.

Arthur stared at the doors in horror. He could already hear people waiting for him outside. He was terribly confused and he didn't know what was waiting for him on the other side of those doors.

Arthur heard the tinkling of chains followed by a click. He then felt a heavy weight around his ankle. Arthur looked down to find that Vash had placed a long chain on him.

"This is to ensure you don't try to escape." Vash said looking up at Arthur. He stood up straight and continued to glare at Arthur. "Here are the rules. You are expected to fight. You must kill your opponent or be killed. If you refuse to do so then you will be immediately put to death. I have the King's Royal Guards waiting ready and armed. At my signal they will open fire against you. If you try to break your chains and escape, you will be put to death. And finally if you try to aid your opponent in any way then you will be put to death."

Arthur felt nauseous and his head was spinning. This was sounding more and more like a nightmare that he just hoped he would wake up from at any moment.

He still felt horribly lost and confused but Arthur did his best to not let his fear and confusion show as Vash opened the doors to the sunlit arena.

It didn't take long for Alfred to realize that he could finally move. He was still chained to the ground by metal links that prohibited him from moving too far, but he could at least stand and look around.

From what he could tell, this was an organized event. The people were screaming at him, yelling cursed and insults, telling him to die. Who was here to kill him though? It wasn't Francis from what he could tell.

He turned his head at the sound of the clinking gate and his eyes opened wide with shock.

Arthur shielded his eyes from the bright sun upon being pushed into the arena. Once his eyes refocused he was able to get a better look around.

He had been in this arena many times but today was different. The people booing was certainly new. And there chained on the other side of the arena was…

"Alfred!" Arthur started to run towards his dragon but was prevented from doing so when some one tugged on the chain around his ankle. Causing Arthur to fall hard on the ground.

Alfred began to panic. They were having Arthur kill him? It suddenly made sense to him considering the situation. But he couldn't fight Arthur! There was no way in hell! And he didn't think Arthur would slay him either.

This whole thing just made him sick to his stomach. Watching Arthur fall had him trying to rush forward, but the harsh reminder of the chains held him back.

"Arthur!" he called desperately.

Arthur raised his head to look at Alfred. Seeing the young dragon calling out his name while fighting against the chains restraining him pierced Arthur's heart. And Alfred's chains (unlike Arthur's) were luminescent. Which meant they must have hexed the dragon's chains so that he could not use his strength to break free.

How had Alfred gotten here? And who's sick idea was it to try and have Arthur slay him?!

As if on cue, the crowd hushed and focused their attention on the figure standing where the King normally would when opening a ceremony.

"My dear citizens." Francis addressed the crowd. "You have all heard of Arthur's betrayal and how he has been helping this dragon learn potion making. I know it must have angered many of you, as it did me, but hasn't Arthur always been loyal to this kingdom before this beast appeared?" Francis pointed an accusing finger at the chained dragon. "Arthur has always been good to you people and it would be a shame for him to be punished for this dragon's sake." The crowd seemed to agree with Francis and cheered him on. This prompted the Knight to continue,"So it has been decided that we will offer our old friend a chance to save his life and reinstate his title as a Knight. All he must do is slay this dragon that has caused all of this trouble. But if he fails to do so then he will be punished along with this dragon he dared to associate with."

Alfred growled low in his throat. Should he just burn the knight to keep him silent? No...he had Arthur to worry about, and worry about him he did. He struggled again against the chains, fighting to get to Arthur, which the audience apparently took as a gesture of him wanting to fight the knight even though he didn't want to. "Arthur...! I can't... The chains won't let me move!"

Arthur felt himself starting to panic. So either way Alfred would die?! This wasn't fair. He didn't deserve to die like this. He was just a young dragon.

There was no way Arthur would be able to kill Alfred. He loved him dearly and he couldn't kill someone so pure and good… but it didn't seem right that both of them had to die.

"Alfred…" Arthur called. He carefully approached the struggling dragon. "I'm so sorry you had to be involved in this."

Alfred's struggling stopped and he shook his massive head sadly. "It's not your fault Artie. So don't blame yourself. It's not like I blame you for any of this. If anything, I should be the one apologizing since I pressured you into teaching me."

He sighed and dropped his head down to Arthur's level, nudging him in the chest softly."I don't mind if you do what they want you to. You should get your title and life back. I'd rather that than you being condemned for having met me. I can at least say I pissed off that blondie a few good times."

"It's not your fault Alfred. I'm happy to have met you." Arthur said with a sad smile. He knew this would be the last conversation he ever had with his beloved selfless dragon.

"Thank you for being my hero. Being with you made me happier than I had ever been in my entire life." Arthur pulled out his sword with shaking hands. "I love you so much Alfred. But really it isn't fair for both of us to die."

"You don't have to die Artie. If you kill me then they'll leave you alone won't they?" Alfred asked, sounding hopeful.

Apparently that secret chatting between the two was getting the crowd riled up since their shouting grew more loud and enraged. Rocks were starting to be thrown, making the dragon wonder where they'd gotten them from.

"Just kill the damn thing!"

"It's a monster! End it now!"

"What kind of knight can't kill a dragon?"

The shouts kept on coming and so did the rocks. Alfred started to worry. They wouldn't hurt him but what about Arthur? He had been given meager protection. He stretched a wing out to protect the green-eyed knight from the pelting and turned back to face him again. "Arthur, I know it's hard but you gotta make a choice."

Arthur didn't notice the hateful crowd. All of his concentration was on Alfred. It absolutely devastated Arthur to see Alfred look hopeful at the knight telling him to kill him.

Arthur's grip on the sword tightened. He knew he was taking too long, but he was trying to prolong his time with Alfred. From the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Vash give a signal for the guards to stand at the ready. This was Arthur's sign to hurry up and do what he needed to be done. Arthur clutched the sword and started chanting an incantation. The sword began to glow in his hands.

"Alfred…" Arthur spoke quietly and determinedly to the dragon. "You'd be willing to do anything I asked you to do, right?"

Alfred nodded, not understanding what the knight was asking this for. "Of course Artie. That's why I'm giving my life to you. Why are you asking that Artie?" He finally took notice of the glowing sword and his eyes widened. "Arthur what are you doing?"

That was all Arthur needed to hear. "Alfred. I want you to fly out of this here as fast as possible." Arthur raised the sword above his head and tightly shut his eyes before using all of his strength to bring the sword back down to break Alfred's chains. At the same time he heard Vash yell at the guards to open fire.

Alfred's eyes widened with surprise and he stared at Arthur, unmoving, as the chains shattered. He couldn't process anything, there was too much noise around him. Were those arrows flying past him. One hit his chest and bounced off but he was concerned about Arthur who could get hit.

"I-I'm not leaving without you! You'll get killed!"

Arthur saw Vash angrily grab one of the Guard's weapon and called the Knights to take action. He then aimed the bow and arrow towards him and Alfred.

"Alfred you said you'd do any thing! Now get out of here before the knights come down!" Arthur yelled back. It wasn't like Arthur could go anywhere. He was still chained to the arena. "You need to leave n…" Arthur's eyes widened. Vash had fired and the arrow pierced into his side. The force of it caused Arthur to fall to the ground.

Time seemed to almost stop when Arthur was hit and he could only watch as he fell to the ground breathlessly. "ARTHUR!" He shrieked in horror.

That was when he felt the anger boil deep inside of him. The pure rage and hate that he hasn't felt at all for so long. Everything just didn't matter anymore except for the victim on the ground. With a loud roar, Alfred released a torrent of flames at the people around him, causing them to scream and run. He smashed the chains binding the fallen knight to the ground and placed him on his back as carefully as he could before shooting off into the sky as fast as he could.

He had to help Arthur. He couldn't die. "Artie, talk to me okay? I don't care what it is you say but just keep talking." _Don't go!_

Arthur was in complete shock. Lying on the ground he had known what had hit him but the pain hadn't processed into his brain yet. The world around him sounded muffled. He could barely make out that people were screaming in terror.

Arthur didn't even realize that he was flying away with Alfred until the dragon's panicked voice reached his ears. The voice pulled him out of his daze and suddenly he could feel the pain. The pain from his side took over him causing him to yelp.

"Aaaagh!" Arthur tightly shut his eyes trying to block out the pain overpowering him. He tried concentrating; tried focusing his attention on Alfred. "A-Alfred… d-did you get hurt?" Arthur asked in a shaky voice.

Alfred winced at the yelp, hating the fact that Arthur was suffering. "I'm not hurt but that isn't important! You are! Just keep talking so I can hear you..."

He started to panic internally. What to do? What to do? He didn't kno-

The healing potion! How could he have forgotten? That would be able to heal Arthur!

"Artie, I'm gonna be flying fast here so try and hang on okay? We're going to my cave."

He then flapped his wings and shot through the air, trying to get to his home as fast as he could.

Arthur clung into Alfred. He could feel Alfred's powerful wings beating on either side of him and the wind whipped around them. Tears began filling his eyes. The pain on his side felt like it was burning through his body. Blood was quickly soaking his shirt.

Although the pain was unbearable he felt happy that it wasn't Alfred in this position. Even though he was dying, he was glad Alfred was spared.

The burning sensation reached his lungs making it hard to breathe.

"I-I'm… glad y-your alright." Arthur spoke through trembling lips. He didn't know why Alfred was bringing him to his cave, but at least he would be with Alfred in the final moments of his life.

Alfred landed in the cave with a loud thud, the landing being rather clumsier than usual. He moved to the back of the cave and carefully grabbed Arthur with his mouth and set him in the ground as gently as he could. He shifted to his human form and checked the wound, paling at the massive red patch in the cloth of his shirt as it continued to spread.

"No...No no no!" He hissed, immediately running to his little nook where he'd stored the potion, snatching it before taking it to Arthur. He popped the cork lid off and pressed the top of the bottle to Arthur's lips. "You need to drink this Arthur!"

The blood loss was getting to Arthur. His eyelids started to droop and his vision blurred. The pain had turned into a tingling numbness. Speech was now impossible for the young man.

Arthur could barely make out Alfred's human form hovering above him. The dragon was talking to him but he couldn't hear a single word. Arthur felt cool glass touch his lips, but sleep was calling out to his drained body. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer…

Alfred paled and almost dropped the bottle out of fear. "Arthur? C-come on Artie...d-don't mess around like that. This isn't funny."

When he didn't get any response he poured some of the drink in his mouth and then kissed Arthur, letting the potion spill into the fallen knights mouth and down his throat.

He pulled away and waited, looking crestfallen. Would it work? He had made it right after all, hadn't he? It was a healing potion. It should work.

.

.

.

The soothing liquid ran down Arthur's throat and sent relief throughout his entire body. He coughed against Alfred's lips and breathing became easier.

It felt dreamlike when Arthur opened his eyes and saw Alfred's beautiful sky blue ones just inches from his own. He lifted his hand to rest on Alfred's cheek.

"What are you looking so distressed about?" Arthur asked in a weak voice. It upset him to see such a worried expression on the dragons face.

Alfred smiled sadly and didn't reply. He just grabbed Arthur's hand and then leaned down an pressed his face against Arthur's chest, a strangled sob escaping him.

"You scared me dammit! Don't you ever do that to me again you idiot! You practically died because of me!"

Arthur held the crying dragon in his arms. He soothingly ran his fingers though Alfred's hair and tried comforting him.

"Shh… Alfred. Don't cry. I'm fine now. See?" It hurt Arthur's heart to see Alfred like this but at the same time he wasn't sorry for his actions. He would much rather himself be hurt than his kind hearted dragon. "Are you alright? None of the Knights hurt you did they?"

"That doesn't matter!" Alfred snapped, not moving from where he was, which caused the sound of his voice to be muffled. "You almost DIED just now!" He looked up, face already red and puffy from crying. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?! You scared the shit out of me and you just go and ask what happened to me?!" His expression saddened more so and he burrowed his face back against Arthur's moving chest. "Arthur...if you had died I don't know what I might have done. I might've gone insane and killed everyone that was there."

Arthur's eyes grew wide at Alfred's reaction. It slightly scared him to think that he could drive Alfred to this point of sorrow and rage. "Alfred I'm sorry I upset you… but I couldn't let you die." Arthur pulled Alfred closer to him. "I couldn't live in a world without you. Of course I'm going to put you above myself. I know that thought upsets you but I would have died anyways because I wouldn't have been able to kill you." Arthur paused cringing at the thought. "Without you… there would've been no reason for me to live."

"And you think it'll be any better for me to have you gone?!" Alfred demanded, pulling away once again, looking quite distraught. "If that's how you feel, then think how I feel too! I feel the same why Arthur! Why do you think I said that?" He gripped Arthur's arms tightly with his hands, nails slightly digging into his skin, frowning deeply. "You're not the only one who feels that way."

Arthur winced when his arms were grabbed too tightly. He looked down to avoid Alfred's gaze. "I'm sorry Alfred… but what would you have done in that situation?" He grew bolder and looked up at Alfred. "I did what I thought was best… and I'm sure that if you were in my place you would have done the same thing."

Alfred grimaced and let go of Arthur's arms, knowing that what he'd said was true and that he couldn't deny it. He looked away and stood up, arms crossing, fingers digging into the skin. "That doesn't make it any better now. Even if I would have done something, it didn't happen and it doesn't make me feel any better about you almost dying."

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh and stood up as well. He stumbled a little getting to his feet because the healing potion was still working on his internal wounds.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't die. Shouldn't you be happy that I'm still alive?!"

Alfred scowled, looking perplexed. "Of course I'm happy that you didn't die! Who do you think saved you?" He sank to the ground, one hand covering his face, with a groan. "And to think that you would have died if you hadn't taught me that potion..."

Arthur walked over to Alfred and knelt down beside him. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around Alfred. "Thank you… for saving me again. You did a wonderful job on the potion."

Alfred whimpered softly, sounding much like a child and hugged Arthur back, wrapping his arms around Arthur's torso, squeezing it gently as to not aggravate the still-healing wounds. "You're not allowed to do anything like that again..."

Arthur brought Alfred's head to rest on his shoulder. "I-I'll try my best not to." Arthur answered.

Alfred mumbled a reply, though it was inaudible. He then nuzzled against the crook of Arthur's neck affectionately, his hold on Arthur becoming more possessive. "You need to rest though. You're still healing and will probably be sore for awhile," he spoke softly, tiredly. "I'll tell you what happened with the Elders while you rest."

Sleep sounded good to Arthur. He felt exhausted after what had transpired that day. He kissed the top of Alfred's head and laid his head in top of the dragons. "I love you." Arthur said softly.

Alfred smiled and chuckled softly. "I love you too, Artie. But you should go lay down so you don't pass out." He moved away and stood up before scooping Arthur into his arms, careful to mind the wound. He walked over to a nest of furs that lay on the ground. "It's not one of your human beds but it should do."

He lay Arthur on the furs carefully and then snuggled up next to him, his arms wrapped around his waist. "But...as to what you asked earlier, I got captured because of what happened at the meeting." He paused, making sure that Aryhur was listening. "I was found out by my brother and he dragged me there to report me as a traitor to my kin. I was sentenced to death but they were going to leave it up to the humans because I "love" them so much. I was cursed to be unable to move and was knocked out. When I woke up, I was found by Francis and he had the other knights take me back with them. You know the rest. But he really does love you, you know. He really hates me for stealing you from him."

Arthur stiffened at the mention of Francis. Some friend he had turned out to be. Francis had attacked him, captured Alfred and force them into an arena to die. The thought of Francis liking Arthur made his stomach sick.

Arthur shook his head. It wasn't worth his time to think about Francis. He scooted closer to Alfred. Thankful to feel that the dragon was still alive and next to him.

"I can't believe your brother would do that to you." It made Arthur upset. Alfred had been brave enough to want to talk to his leaders about making peace but Alfred's brother had intervened and things went worse then they should have. "Did the Elders even listen to you?"

"He didn't really want to do it." Alfred replied softly, recalling his brother's hurt expression. "But he knew he had to because of the rules of our kin." He sighed and shook his head. "They didn't listen to me at all. They didn't even give me much of a chance to explain. It didn't matter how much I tried. I was immediately put on trial and sentenced to death for it. Well, obviously it wasn't successful but...They still tried. If they see me again, they might try to kill me themselves since the human execution didn't go the way they wanted it to."

Arthur was still upset about Alfred being turned in by his own brother, but he decided it was best to not harp on about it. At least Alfred was still safe. It would have been worse if the Elders had decided to off Alfred themselves. Arthur shuddered at the thought.

"Neither of our meetings turned out the way they were supposed to." Arthur said with a frustrated sigh. "I never even got a chance to speak with the King."

Alfred frowned and sighed again. "It doesn't seem like much is going right, right now. But I don't want things to stay the way they are...I don't think they'll listen to someone they exiled though... What do you think we should do?"

Arthur stayed quiet for a few moments. "Well… you said they wouldn't listen to you because they consider you a hatchling." Arthur spoke carefully. "So maybe they would be willing to speak to someone who is of a high rank amongst their people… maybe I could try talking to them."

Alfred sat up and looked at Arthur with a horrified expression. "Wh-whoa. Hold on there, Arthur. What makes you think they're going to listen to you if they didn't listen to me?" he asked, sounding incredulous. "One, you're human. Two, you're a knight. Or you were one...But I highly doubt they'll just stop and decide to listen to you, let alone let you get within 4 yards of the meeting place."

"It might sound crazy to you but really think about it." Arthur insisted. "You're too young and that's why they wouldn't even entertain the thought of befriending humans. They thought it was a childish idea. Up until recently, I have been one of the highest ranking Knights and my family lineage gained me a lot of respect amongst my people. The only reason why all that fell apart is because that bloody frog interfered and prevented me from trying to explain the situation to the king." Arthur grabbed Alfred's hand and have it a light squeeze. "It may sound a bit far fetched but we have to keep pursuing this. Otherwise there will always be people who will want to keep us apart."

"You make me sound younger than you," Alfred mumbled dejectedly while pouting. "I happen to be 5 times your age you know. You'd probably be regarded as something lower than a hatchling." He sighed and squeezed Arthur's hand back. "But I do agree with you that we should continue with this. I can protect you from the others...But I think we should wait until you have fully recovered..."

"You may be older but when it comes to maturity I'm ages ahead of you." Arthur chuckled at Alfred's pout and gave his cheek a light pinch.

Arthur tried to stifle a yawn. He still felt drowsy from all the blood he had lost. "Perhaps we can talk about this 'Elders' business after I have a short nap? I'm feeling a bit tired and should be fully recovered by then."

Alfred nodded in agreement, though he felt that Arthur needed more than just a "nap". Even though he'd taken the healing potion, it didn't change that he'd had a hole in his body not that long ago and had been dying in his arms. "Yea...We'll talk about it more later."

"That sounds good." Arthur said in a sleepy voice. He mumbled an "I love you" and snuggled against the warm furs and Alfred. Falling asleep next to Alfred had a calming affect on Arthur. He wasn't thinking about his near death experience or his upcoming meeting with the Elders. All he was thinking of was how happy it made him to have Alfred in his life.

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**And there's chapter 4! I hope you're all enjoying this story. I'm not sure about Yamiyo, but I actually had fun writing this chapter. **

**Please leave a review to let us know what you think. (Reviews fuel us!)**

******Also, don't forget to check out Yamiyo. Darknight's other stories. The link to her FF is on my profile.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey y'all! We're back~! So sorry it took us so long to post Chapter 5. **

**Also, we hope you don't mind but we decided to change the rating to M… Yes that means there will be sex scene.**

**ItalianCrybaby: Arthur**

**Yamiyo. Darknight: Alfred, Matthew, all the other awesome dragons that appear in this chapter. ;D**

**So here's chapter 5~!**

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Arthur awoke feeling slightly confused. He blinked open his eyes to the bright morning light.

_Morning?_ Arthur thought to himself with a groan. _So much for a short nap._

Even though Arthur had slept through the whole night, he still felt a bit sleepy. He was never a morning person so it was normal for him to feel this way. What wasn't normal was the extra weight he felt on his waist. Arthur turned his head and looked to find that Alfred's arm draped over him and on further inspection he found the young dragon fast asleep.

Arthur smiled at Alfred's sleeping face, but his smile vanished when he remembered his conversation with Alfred the night before. He had almost forgotten about the Elders. Arthur didn't think a meeting sounded like a bad idea at the time, but now that he had a full nights rest and was fully recovered he started to realize how dangerous a meeting with them could be.

Arthur sighed and carefully maneuvered himself out of Alfred's grasp; cautiously making sure the other did not awake. He didn't want to wake the dragon just yet. He wanted to have some time alone to gather his thoughts.

Looking over himself, Arthur grimaced when he noticed that there was dry blood on his clothes. Arthur glanced around the cave to see if Alfred had a water basin to clean with but found none. Instead he heard the faint sound of rushing water coming from outside the cave.

Arthur looked back at the sleeping dragon once more and decided it would be alright to leave the cave for just a moment.

_The rushing water doesn't_ _sound too far away from the cave._ Arthur thought to himself. _I'm sure I'll be back before Alfred wakes up._ With that final thought Arthur quietly made his way out of the cave.

Alfred woke shortly after Arthur had left, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He felt like he'd just been punched all over by his brother or something. Man, he usually never felt this sore, so why now?

He sat up and yawned, then looked around. His eyes widened when everything came rushing back to him. Where was Arthur?!

He stood up quickly, feeling light headed when he did so. He stumbled a bit before turning around frantically to try and find his knight. "Arthur?!" He called out worriedly.

Not getting a response, he paused, trying to think where he could've gone. He didn't get taken...Did he? He caught Arthur's scent and realized that he'd gone deeper into the cave.

He followed the scent down the tunnel, keeping his eyes peeled for the blonde as he continued to call out for him.

Arthur was relieved to find a small stream not too far away from Alfred's cave. Arthur had already cleaned his clothes as best as he could and left them out to dry while he soaked in the brook.

He washed away the remaining blood and found that his wound was completely healed. All that was left was a faint pink line where the arrow had pierced him.

Arthur felt a chill run down his spine. The scar was a reminder of how close to death he was and the danger that Alfred was put in because of the former knight's people.

Arthur blamed himself for this mess that they had gotten themselves into. If he hadn't dropped those scales then no one in the kingdom would have known about Alfred and they wouldn't have set up that stupid event and Alfred wouldn't have been in any danger.

Arthur continued to think in deep thought and failed to hear Alfred calling for him.

Alfred frowned when he continued to have no response. Why wasn't Arthur responding to his name? Had something really happened to him?

In a panic, Alfred started to run, hoping nothing bad had happened to his knight again. He didn't want to lose him. Especially after the fright he'd gotten the day before.

He followed the scent trail and finally came cross the blonde at a stream in the cave.

"Arthur!" He exclaimed, relieved to see he was okay... Even if he happened to practically be nude.

His face went a deep red when he finally realized it, and slapped his hands over his eyes. "Why weren't you answering me?!"

"Bloody hell Alfred!" Arthur yelped in surprise by Alfred's sudden appearance. He sank lower into the stream and wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to cover himself. "I didn't hear you calling. I thought you were asleep!" Arthur's face quickly turned just as red as Alfred's from the awkwardness of the situation.

"I WAS asleep!" Alfred protested, voice becoming squeaky. "But then I woke up and I saw you were gone so I thought you got taken or something! So then I followed your scent here but I didn't know that you'd be-" he didn't continue the sentence, face deepening in color.

"Well my clothes were filthy after what happened yesterday. I couldn't stay in those bloody garments." Arthur tried explaining anxiously. "Just… turn around while I put my clothes on."

He was thankful that Alfred had politely covered his eyes, but he still felt very self conscious and wanted to make sure Alfred was turned the other way before he got out of the stream.

Alfred didn't bother to protest, already feeling horribly embarrassed for walking in on him the way he did. So he turned around, still covering his eyes just in case.

Once Alfred had turned around, Arthur quickly jumped out of the stream and put on his slightly damp clothes.

"You can look now." Arthur announced when he was finished. His face was still red from feeling embarrassed about Alfred finding him that way.

Alfred reluctantly let his hands drop back to his sides to clench slightly. He turned back to Arthur with a weak smile, still very much embarrassed. "Um...so you're feeling better now right?" He asked shyly.

"Yes, the potion did its job. I'm fully recovered now." Arthur answered as he unconsciously rubbed the scar. He was happy that the conversation had changed to something else. "How are you fairing?"

"Well," Alfred started, "I'm still a bit sore from the chains and all. Metal really digs into ya, you know?" He stretched his arms up and winced. There were darkened marks on his skin where the chains had been digging into his arms as a dragon.

Arthur flinched when he saw Alfred's wounds. They looked painful and it grieved Arthur to see his dragon bruised.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Arthur mumbled quietly. He reached out and lightly traced his hands across a particularly nasty mark on Alfred's arm. He examined it carefully before speaking again. "I don't have anything to heal your wounds, but if we head back to your cave I can use a spell that will prevent you from feeling any of the pain."

"Yea! I'd really like that!" Alfred said with an enthusiastic nod. "It'll be easier to move if I can't feel the pain." He smiled warmly at Arthur. "And don't apologize. None of this is your fault." He reached a hand out and ruffled the knight's hair. "So don't worry. I heal fast."

"Alright." Arthur half heartedly swatted Alfred's hand away from his hair. (He didn't want to let Alfred know he liked the gesture.) But he smiled when he saw that Alfred's overenthusiastic behavior had returned. It took away some of the guilt Arthur felt. He grabbed Alfred's hand and started leading him back to the cave. "Come along then. The sooner we get back the sooner we can patch you up and talk about this 'meeting with the Elders'."

_Yea, I'm worried that we might get attacked by them though._ Alfred wanted to say. He didn't. He wasn't sure what Arthur would say to that. He knew Arthur wouldn't attack his kin unprovoked, and probably even if he was provoked. He didn't have a cold heart.

Alfred wasn't sure how everything was going to go. He hadn't been killed by the humans, so did that mean he'd still be in trouble?  
Or would they think he'd attacked the humans in self defense? Although, he had been sealed and unable to move. So what would that mean to the elders?

Arthur noticed Alfred's thoughtful expression but didn't comment on it. He knew Alfred must be worried about talking to the Elders. Arthur didn't blame him. He himself was still worried about standing before a roomful of dragons. But there must be someway to persuade them. Even if they could have one other dragon on their side, maybe it would be enough to make the others consider their idea for peace.

They continued to walk, both of them in deep thought. As they were about to enter Alfred's cave, Arthur stopped suddenly and tightened his hold on Alfred's hand.

"Alfred, did you hear something?" Arthur questioned quietly. He turned to face the dragon with a quizzical look.

Alfred stopped in his tracks, also hearing something. He put a finger to his lips to tell Arthur to keep silent and quietly made his way forward. He peeked around the tunnel's wall and was very much surprised to see his brother there.

"Mattie?" He called out, surprising the other. He walked out into full view to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. "Why are you here?"

"I should be asking you that," Matthew answered rather bitterly, having recovered from his initial shock of seeing his supposedly dead brother. "Didn't the humans kill you?"

"They tried." Alfred answered honestly, tone softening. "But Arthur saved me from them."

Matthew seemed skeptical. "Saved you? I'm sure he 'saved' you just so he could keep your scales to himself. He doesn't love you Alfred. No human is capable of loving a dragon. They are greedy and wish to use us for what we have."

Arthur meant to stay hidden as Alfred tried to talk to who he could only assume was Alfred's brother, but hearing these accusations immediately made the human's blood boil.

"How dare you!" Arthur bellowed as he bolted around the corner to face the intruding dragon. Although he knew it was foolish to stand before a moody dragon unarmed, he was feeling very offended and his pride wouldn't let him back down. He glared at the other dragon defiantly. "I don't know who you think you are Mattie, but how dare you accuse my love for Alfred being false. I'd never do anything for my own selfish gain to someone as kindhearted as Alfred."

Matthew's eyes widened again in surprise as Arthur joined the conversation but he quickly narrowed them and he scowled. "You say that, but any human can lie!" He retorted sharply. "We've been hunted by your kind for ages. Some have been fooled by words of kindness and killed. We have since then learned not to trust your stupid lies." He stepped up to Arthur, prodding him harshly on the chest. "You have no rights here, human! Especially since you're a descendant of the one who started the slaughters!"

"That doesn't mean he's bad!" Alfred cut in, shoving his brother away angrily. "He's never done anything bad to me and he almost DIED saving me! I didn't want anything to happen to him so I saved him! He wouldn't lie to me! And he certainly wouldn't use me for his own gain!" He stood defensively in front of Arthur, arms crossed over his chest. "So don't you dare slander him!"

Arthur gently put a hand on Alfred's shoulder and moved to stand next to him. He gave a Alfred a soft but stern look, hoping that Alfred would understand that Arthur didn't want him coming in between him and Matthew. Arthur was touched by Alfred's defensiveness over him, but he didn't want to look like he was cowering behind the dragon for protection. He didn't want to give Matthew anymore reason to doubt his morals.

Alfred backed down slightly, but only because Arthur was telling him to. He wasn't happy that his brother was trying to make Arthur feel bad about himself.

"Yes… my family is responsible for starting the horrid act of slaying your kind." Arthur spoke solemnly as he turned his attention back to Matthew. "It's a fact that I am ashamed of but you must believe me when I say I'm trying to right the wrong that was made. Alfred and I are trying to stop this hate and act if killing between our kind." Arthur's voice grew stronger the more he spoke, even though he was trembling lightly trying to keep his composure. "You may not like me or my people, but I know you must be just as tired as I am of all these unnecessary killings. So many good dragons and humans have been killed in this feud. Don't you want all this fighting to stop?"

Matthew was unhappy about being rebuked by both of the other males. He scowled when Arthur did not retreat and also rebuked him for what he'd done. "I don't not like the fighting or slaughtering of either side. But I do not feel that humans can be even called good now. They are too selfish." He muttered, not willing to back down.

"Well, I'll admit that not all people are good. But the same can be said about dragons." Arthur stated. "No offense, but you did turn in your own brother to the Elders when he had done nothing wrong. Your brother could have died and you would've been partly to blame for that!" Arthur stated harshly. He didn't like the dragon before him. This dragon should have been more supportive of his brother but instead he put Alfred in danger. "If I judged dragons by just your actions then I would believe you all to be cold hearted creatures. But I look at Alfred and I know you are all better than that. So don't go judging all of my people for others crimes. Help us make peace. You'll see that there are many good humans and together we can stop the bad from committing anymore crimes against your kind."

Matthew flinched at the accusation and he growled. "That's the rules of our kin! If you commit a treason against our kind, against the rules that were instilled by our Elders, then you will be punished as such!" He snapped angrily. "You humans have your customs and we have ours!" Tears started to build up in his violet eyes. "Do you think I LIKED taking him to where his fate would surely be bad?! No! I didn't! I hated what they did to him! But there were rules put in place for a reason and so I obeyed them! Don't talk down to me like you're all noble and perfect because you're not!"

"I know I'm not perfect and I've spent my whole life trying to achieve my family's vision of noblility and tried to follow their traditions." Arthur replied. "I've gone by there rules for far too long and only after meeting Alfred did I understand that their rules were wrong… and some rules are meant to be broken for the ones you love."

Matthew went silent, expression showing that he was clearly conflicted by what the knight was saying. "You would betray your kin for him?" he asked Arthur quietly.

"Yes." Arthur answered immediately. "I'd do anything for Alfred."

Matthew didn't say anything in reply and stepped back towards the knight, glaring at Alfred when he tried to intervene. "I'm not going to do anything bad to him," he said flatly. He turned back to Arthur and his expression was just as flat as the tone he'd just had. . . at least until he hugged Arthur. He smiled softly and pulled away. "I'm glad then, that you are willing to stake your own life for him." He paused and sighed before stepping away, ignoring Alfred's flabbergasted look. "My brother is an idiot, but if you are willing to stay with him anyways, then I am grateful."

He bowed his head in apology. "I did not mean to put you on edge, but I did not know whether or not I could trust you." The violet-eyed dragon crossed his arms. "I have been wondering about our rules for a while now. Ever since Alfred came into contact with you and said that people were not truly bad, and then was saved by you… I've begun to doubt that what we've been living by is right. If you need to speak with the Elders, then I will guide you there."

Arthur was just as surprised as Alfred was by Matthews actions. But it caused the knight to smile with gratitude and relief. "Thank you Matthew. I can't tell you how much your support means to us."

"That's great bro!" Alfred cheered, pouncing on his brother to hug him. "I'm glad you're finally seeing the light!"

Matthew rolled his eyes and shoved Alfred off. "Don't act like that." He dusted himself off and then frowned. "I must warn you both. The Elders are on High Alert right now and I know they're going to try and attack you if they see you alive in their presence. Even if we work together Al, at best we could pin down one of them. At best. And even then, we'd likely be horribly injured or half-dead. They're very protective of each other, so we can't fight them. It's impossible."

"But they won't listen to me either. You saw how it went last time." Alfred argued. "They're not going to just let some hatchlings like us just start dismissing the rules we've been going by for all these years."

"Then how about I confront them myself?" Arthur inquired.

"Absolutely not!" both dragons exclaimed at the same time.

Arthur jumped slightly in surprise by the two brothers exclamation. He didn't expect them to be so put off by his idea.

"You'd get killed!" Alfred fretted, blue eyes shining with worry. "They'd definitely not listen to you!"

"He's right. Alfred almost died trying to tell them about you last time. Having you there in person would just make it worse." Matthew agreed. "They'd try to kill you for sure."

"Sorry, I didn't think of that." Arthur replied before turning to Matthew. "Do you have any suggestions on what we should do?"

Matthew moved over to sit on a rock, before giving a sigh. "Well, honestly, I can't say there's much we can do, other than to hope that if we can convince others to support us. If we can prove to them that there is a type of human that does not mean them harm, then perhaps they will listen. But I don't know how we can get them to listen. . ." He paused and his eyes widened with a sudden idea. He looked up at Alfred, thoughts seeming to be running quickly through his mind. "Alfred. . ." He stood up and grabbed his brother and dragged him off to talk to him, out of Arthur's ear shot.

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Matthew pull Alfred away. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not, but he respected their privacy and stayed were he was.

There was some murmuring and Alfred seemed to be surprised and then very much confused. Matthew sighed, giving a shrug before walking back over to where Arthur was, a determined look in his eyes. "I've got an idea. I cannot say if it will work well, but it may be the only way we can get you into the meeting without you being immediately attacked." He said. "Are you willing to listen?"

"Of course." Arthur leant forward in interest. "What did you have in mind?"

"Alright. As I'm sure you know, dragons are very capable of using the ability of transformation," Matthew began, gesturing to himself and his brother. "However, what Alfred (I'm sure) failed to tell you, is that we can transform others as well. It's a difficult process, but if it's successful, then it would be a very convincing form." He figured Arthur understood but decided to elaborate for his brother, who seemed to still be lost. "In other words, we can use that ability to turn you into a dragon temporarily. That way, we could get you into the meeting, get our message in to the elders. . .and go from there."

"That's brilliant!" Arthur marveled. He didn't realize how far advanced the dragons were on their transfiguration magic and he grew excited at the prospect of learning more about it. "I'm willing to go with this plan."

"Very well then." Matthew consented. "If you're willing to go along with this with your own will, then I will assist you. This process will need some spell casting as well as potion-making. So we need to go to a facility where we can utilize as many ingredients as we can."

"Well, there's the place where I learned potions at. We could go there, couldn't we Artie?" Alfred chirped.

"We have all the ingredients you could need for any potion there." Arthur nodded. "It shouldn't be too far away from here."

"Good. We should head out there now then," Matthew said. "The sooner the better. I don't want to let this wait too long, or else I fear that things may go wrong."

"Why?" Alfred asked, lost.

"Because our kin is contemplating attacking the humans in an 'finish-all' fight." Matthew said in a solemn tone. "It hasn't been decided yet, but if we don't hurry, then everything is going to go wrong."

Arthur froze at Matthew's words. He stared unbelieving at the other dragon and panic set in his chest. "No." Arthur spoke barely above a whisper. He spoke louder and said, "No! They can't do that." He turned quickly to Alfred and hoped he didn't look on the brink of being hysterical. "Alfred, we have I hurry. We can't let them do this."

"Like I said, they haven't decided on anything yet. That's why we have to hurry now before they do decide on something." Matthew cut in sharply, not allowing Alfred a chance to say anything. The blonde shifted into his dragon form and stretched before gesturing for Arthur and Alfred to climb on his back.

"Why can't I just fly too?" Alfred demanded, sulking.

"Because if any of the others see you then it'll be trouble." Matthew hissed, shoving Alfred with his snout.

"_Fine_!" Alfred sighed, pouting.

Arthur quickly climbed on first then offered a hand to assist Alfred.

Alfred climbed on behind Arthur and wrapped an arm tightly around Arthur's middle before letting his brother know that they were okay to go. The violet dragon stepped over to the entrance before leaping off the edge, wings spread widely to catch thermals in the wind.

Alfred squeaked as they dropped, his hold tightening on Arthur. He wasn't used to being on another dragon's back. He was used to being the one flying, so this was not something he was enjoying.

It didn't take long for Matthew to find the run-down building with Alfred's instructions and he landed softly on the grass. He settled onto his belly, letting the pair off his back before going back to his human form. "I know the ingredients we're going to need and the preparations for the potion. You're both going to have to follow them exactly, otherwise this potion will become a poison." He warned.

Arthur nodded in understanding. He grasped Alfred's hand, he trusted Alfred and knew they could make the potion correctly. Together. "Alright, what do you need us to do?"

Alfred smiled at Arthur, knowing that he'd be okay if he had him to help. "We're ready to get to work."

Matthew nodded and stalked into the building, making sure the other two were keeping up with him. "Listen well. This will require rare ingredients that would otherwise be unavailable to anyone not close to a dragon."

"You mean like dragon scales?" Arthur inquired. He followed Matthew and listened intently to his words.

"Not just dragon scales," Matthew replied, violet eyes glum. "We will be using Dragon's Blood as well. I should warn you now, the substance is very acidic and will burn a human's skin."

Alfred frowned and looked away, brows furrowed. "Dragon's blood can also reject the body it's consumed by, should it happen."

"Which would mean that, if rejected, that body would (in the best scenario) would suffer imaginable pain." Matthew explained. "Worst case scenario, it would disintegrate."

Arthur would have been lying if he said the thought of drinking Alfred's acidic dragon blood didn't bother him. But he wouldn't let anymore fear set in. He had to do this not only for Alfred but for his people. Arthur closed his eyes and took a quavering breath before looking back at Matthew. "Alright, what other ingredients do you need?"

"The scales and blood will be provided by both of us," Matthew said. "Mine will give you the form, Alfred's will give you the stability and lessen the risk of your being rejected. Other than that, we are going to need minerals of amethyst and sapphire. We're then going to need mint and some sugar (since the finished product will taste pretty awful)."

Arthur quickly ran off to gather the ingredients needed for the potion. He used a spell to break open a cupboard that held the rare minerals and took what they needed. The mint and sugar were easier to get a hold of (they were in jars perched upon a shelf). Lastly, Arthur grabbed a silver dagger. He winced as he held it in his hand, knowing what it was about to be used for.

He placed the items on a table before Alfred and Matthew and waited for further instructions. "What do I do now?"

"First, we're going to need to boil some water." Matthew started.

Alfred took over that part and got the water for the cauldron to be heated and lit it.

"Alright, now while we wait for it to boil, I need you two to crush those gem stones." Matthew said. He looked at Arthur. "Although, you might just want to leave that to Alfred. I don't think you can crush them. . ."

Arthur passed the gems to Alfred without complaint. He could crush the gems if he wanted to. It was just that it would be after if Alfred did it.

Alfred crushed the gemstones into small pieces, making it seem like he was crushing dry leaves instead. He handed the small shards to Arthur, trying to be extremely careful not to lose any of the pieces.

"I want you to put those in the water, Arthur. This potion is for you, so you need to be the one who puts everything in it." Matthew said firmly. "After the gemstones, we need to put the blood in. It will dissolve and mix with the gemstones." He picked up the knife and a small container. "I'll go first, then Alfred will go next."

Arthur carefully added the crushed gems into the boiling water. He treated them with the same care as Alfred did and to ensure all of the fragments made it into the water. He focused his attention on the mixture and tried to ignore what Matthew and Alfred were about to do. Blood never made him queasy so he wasn't sure if it was that fact that he would be drinking the blood or the fact that Alfred would be slicing his own skin that made Arthur suddenly feel a bit nauseous.

Matthew took the blade to his palm and made a quick, careful cut across the skin. He did not so much as wince as he let the scarlet blood pool in his hand before letting it drop into the container. He grabbed a loosely-hanging strip of tapestry and tied it around his hand. It's not like they cared about the building's appearances anyways.

He wiped the blade off so that it was clean, and then handed it over to Alfred who looked more than a bit unsure about cutting himself. Nevertheless, the blue-eyed dragon took the blade and did the same thing, letting his blood mix with his brothers. He bound his hand with the strip of cloth provided by his brother before handing the container of blood over to Arthur. "Careful not to spill it. You could hurt yourself."

"We'll let the blood mix in and dissolve the gems. Then we can continue." Matthew said. "When you pour it in, you want to stop when it matches the color of dragon you will become. It should match the color of your eyes."

Arthur took the container of blood gingerly in his hands. He stood before the mixture and took a deep breath before carefully (and slowly) pouring the dragons blood into the caldron.

The blood had an amazing affect on the crushed gems. The potion turned colors that Arthur had never even seen before. And each color shined bright like dragon scales. Once Arthur had depicted his right color (an emerald green) he immediately stopped pouring to prevent the remainder of the blood from flowing into the mixture.

"I believe this is the right color." Arthur said turning to Matthew.

Matthew nodded his agreement. "I'd say so. I'm sure you'll be quite the shocker there. Green dragons are quite rare now."

"Greens were hunted first because their scales were the most powerful in potions," Alfred explained. "But they were also the most feared because they could blend in the easiest with the surrounding forests."

"Correct." Matthew commented. "Anyways, now that we've got the blood in, we need the scales. Like the gems, the scales will dissolve (although slower since our scales are resistant to the blood's effects).

Now that Arthur thought about it, he had never seen a green dragon before. It saddened him to think that his ancestors killed off so many magnificent creatures.

"Alright. Are you and Alfred ready to shed the scales?" Arthur questioned.

"I've already got mine," Matthew replied, holding up a few violet scales.

Alfred trotted out of the room to go outside.

"Now remember, this isn't going to be the most pleasant thing for you to consume, and it has a risk. But, as it seems to be going right now, you should be fine." Matthew told Arthur.

Alfred came back in shortly after and held up a few of his own scales. "Alright! I've got mine too!"

They both handed their scales to the knight. "Mine go first, Alfred's go second."

Arthur took the scales and nodded his head towards Matthew to tell him he understood the risks. He placed the violet scales in first and waited or them to dissolve before adding Alfred's blue scales to the mix. The potion bubbled for a few moments after the scales had dissolved. Then the mixture became very still although it should still be bubbling with the temperature it was at.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Arthur questioned with concern.

"Yes. Our scales are heat resistant which makes the water still instead of bubble." The violet dragon explained. "If it were still bubbling, that would be a sign we did something wrong."

"Does it look metallic?" Alfred asked Arthur.

"Yes it does." Arthur answered. He stared with amazement at the now metallic green mixture.

"Good! That means it's like perfect!" Alfred chirped. "Now you can add the mint and sugar, just not too much sugar cuz it'll taste too sweet."

"Funny that you should be the one to say that." Matthew teased, prodding his brother's side.

"Wah! Don't poke me there! It tickles!" Alfred squeaked, squirming away.

Arthur chuckled at the two brothers antics and returned his attention to the potion. The mixture hissed when the sugar and mint leaves were added but this was because of the extreme heat of the mixture. Arthur cringed at the thought of drinking the molten hot potion.

Sensing Arthur's dismay, Matthew chuckled. "You won't have to drink it while its hot. It's best to drink it when it's cooled a bit."

"But I'm not sure if we have enough time to wait until the potion cools." Arthur remarked. "I know a spell that can bring the temperature down, but will magic affect the potion's properties?"

Matthew pondered the question. "It shouldn't, but I don't know if we want to take that risk. . ."

"Couldn't we just take a small sample and let him try it on that and see if it works or not?" Alfred suggested, holding a small beaker.

"We could," Matthew replied. "Might as well." He grabbed the beaker and a ladle, scooping a small portion of the liquid before setting it on the table. "Go ahead and try."

Arthur let his hand hover over the beaker and muttered a spell under his breath. He felt a cool sensation run through his fingertips and a soft blue mist momentarily surrounded the small bottle before disappearing.

Matthew looked at the liquid in the beaker, eyeing it carefully to check for any sign of difference. "It doesn't look like anything changed."

Alfred moved over to sniff it and almost sneezed. "Doesn't smell any different either. "Still beats the smell of those stupid slugs."

"Slugs?" Matthew echoed, confused.

"Long story." Arthur replied with a fond smile. That first potion lesson with Alfred seemed ages ago. He wanted to laugh when he remembered how Alfred reacted to handling the slugs. "So is it alright to drink?" Arthur inquired. He lifted the bottle, which now felt cool to the touch, and examined it.

"It should be fine now. But you'd best drink it outside. And remember, the transformation is temporary." Matthew warned.

Arthur nodded in understanding and lead the way outside. He waited for the others to join him. He then lifted the bottle to his lips and downed the potion.

Arthur was able to get pass the still slightly bitter taste of the potion, but the affects were another story. It felt like a dull fire was seeping down his throat and leaked into his veins. He started to feel uncomfortably hot and his insides began to twist. Feeling dizzy, Arthur fell on all fours and tried to even his breathing. Before he knew it, he felt like he was growing out of his own skin.

Alfred watched with concern when Arthur almost seemed to be in pain as his form changed. He stood in front of him, trying to whisper calming words to his knight so he wouldn't feel too worried.

Arthur concentrated on Alfred's voice. Before long, the whole world felt still. Arthur opened his eyes and saw that everything looked like it'd shrunk. Next Arthur looked at where his hand should be and instead found emerald green reptilian claws.

"It worked." Mumbled Arthur in amazement.

Alfred laughed. "Of course it worked! My bro is a genius!" He hugged Arthur, trying to wrap them around his neck.

"Alright, let's get going then." Matthew said. "That potion will last a few days. If you try and transform to a human during, the potion will lose its effects. So be careful." He turned to Alfred. "You're still not allowed to fly. They'll recognize your color."

"I'll be sure not shift back unless it is absolutely necessary." Arthur answered. He then turned to Alfred and with a bashful look said, "I'd offer you a ride but I'm afraid I would throw you off on my first attempt to fly. It would be best if you road on Matthew."

"It might be best to get you flying at all right now." Matthew sighed. "Otherwise you're not going to get there at all."

"That might not be a bad idea." Arthur replied. He flexed his wings awkwardly at first (it felt so strange to have these extra appendages) and he continued to move them until he got used to the feeling. Arthur then tried fluttering his wings very quickly. It caused him to hover over the ground momentarily but his flaps were off rhythm and he tumbled back to his feet.

Matthew shifted to his dragon form and moved to stand in front Arthur so he could help him. Alfred had to move out of the way so he didn't get squashed.

"You've got to remember that our wings out very much like two more arms." Matthew explained. "They are built the same. You must flap them at the same time."

Arthur listened to Matthew's advice and began flapping his wings in sync with each other. He flapped them in longer strides. This technique worked a lot better and he was able to hover longer.

Matthew smiled. "That's good. When you're actually higher in the air, you'll have to learn how to let your wings flow with the wind. You don't fight it. You ride it."

Arthur took a deep breath and beat his wings harder to get more height. When he was above the trees he spread his wings and caught the wind. It pushed him back slightly but he positioned his wings to ride the air. Flying began to feel more natural to the knight. He was even able to circle around Alfred and Matthew's head before landing (stumbling) to the ground.

"I'd say you got the hang of it." Matthew commented, letting his wings fold against his sides. "Now we just have to get to the meeting."

"Hey, Mattie? I know you said I can't fly there, but I don't think I can just go and sit on your back." Alfred said, frowning. "Can't we just change my color or something? I don't have to speak. Just say I'm mute or something."

"There should be a color changing potion in the storage area of the building. Although, I'm not sure if it works on dragons." Arthur stated. He himself had made the potion to pull a prank on Francis when he commented on his eyebrows. "It's the hourglass shaped vile with gold colored liquid inside."

"I wanna give it a try!" Alfred said excitedly, acting like he was going to dye his hair a new color. He bolted back into the building and grabbed the vial before running back out with it. He held it up for Arthur to see. "This one?"

"That's the one." Arthur confirmed. "The color it changes you to is completely random though."

"Better not get something lame," Alfred muttered. He popped the cork off the top and chugged the purple liquid before shifting to his dragon form. The sky blue scales began to shift in hue, as did his eyes.

The color darkened and then shifted to a bold crimson color that reminded Alfred of blood. Internally, he shuddered. "Well, it's not pink!" He said gratefully.

"That's a relief. Pink is the color Francis turned when I slipped the potion into his evening wine." Arthur said with a smirk.

Alfred snorted with laughter, smoke pooling from his nostrils as he did. "Serves him right! Please tell me it was a gaudy bright pink!"

Matthew's brow-ridge raises slightly. "And who is this Francis exactly?" He had no idea who the two were talking about.

"He's an asshat and that's all you need to know about him at the moment." Arthur said to Matthew before turning to Alfred and said. "By the way, he turned into an obnoxious pastel pink."

Alfred laughed loudly, tears coming to his eyes at the thought of the horrible man being such a hideous color. "That's perfect!" He exclaimed, still laughing.

"O...Kay..." Matthew murmured, not quite understanding. "But can we go now please? We need I get to the meeting before it starts. Alfred, do what you suggested and keep your mouth shut."

Alfred pouted but did as he was told.

Arthur pursed his lips together to prevent himself from laughing just as hard as Alfred. His laughter was just so contagious. But they had a job to do so he turned his attention back to Matthew and said, "Alright Matthew. Lead the way."

Matthew nodded and took off into the air. Alfred waited for Arthur to follow before joining them. He planned to stay by Arthur's side to stabilize his flight should he need the help.

"It's a bit from here, but flying will make the trip short. Especially if there's thermals." Matthew said to Arthur.

"Well that's good." Arthur huffed. "The sooner we get there the better." He was already slightly out of breath. He was doing pretty well with the flying but he would occasionally position his wings wrong, causing him to wobble in midair.

Alfred positioned one wing under one of Arthur's, stabilizing it. "Don't worry so much about flapping as reading the wind. There's lots of thermals here. That means you can just glide." He said to Arthur quietly, smiling. "And we're here to help ya. So don't worry."

"Thank you." Arthur smiled gratefully at Alfred. He spread his wings out a bit wider and glided on the thermals.

Alfred nodded, still smiling.

It didn't take long for the three to reach the meeting place after that. The rounded formation of stone signaled where they would all be, a formation that could be seen from the sky.

Matthew had then land a bit from the formation. "We'll walk from here." He said, shaking himself out before stepping forward to lead the way to the inside of the formation. "Both of you might want to stay silent. You can speak, Arthur, but only if addressed. If its something you cannot answer, then I will help you out."

Arthur nodded in understanding and followed the formation. He kept close to Alfred and didn't say a word. He was afraid that if he said or did something wrong then it would get them caught.

Alfred, sensing Arthur's unease, leaned his head against Arthur's own, trying to comfort him. He couldn't say anything but maybe his actions would say it for him. "It'll be alright."

When the three entered the middle of the rock, many dragons could be seen, gathering around the outer walls of the formation. All sat proudly, necks arching to watch as others wandered in. The two elders sat in the center as they usually did, looking as regal as they had when Alfred had last seen them.

But despite their regal appearances, he felt a shiver run down his spine. They were just as powerful, if not more so, as they seemed regal.

Arthur paused for a moment and stared in awe at all the dragons. There were so many of different colors and sizes. The sight was overwhelming. It took Arthur a moment to regain his senses and catch up to Matthew and take his seat.

After the rest of the dragons had taken their seat, the elders began the meeting. Many of the dragons started off by saying that humans needed to be killed since they were a threat to all their kin.

Matthew, however, disagreed with them causing a stir. "I once felt the same as you all. I felt humans were heartless beings that thought of nothing but themselves. But recently, I've seen another side that shows something is not seen or had considered seeing in them. Compassion, love, and protection that we would have amongst each other. And this human felt this way towards one of our kind." He began saying, ignoring the jeers and insults he received. He watched the elders as they started to frown. "This human, at the risk of his own life, decided to save one of us. He did not do it out of a want for something in return. He did it because that dragon meant something more to him."

"You are sounding like your brother," Romulus growled with a warning tone. "Do we need to punish you the same way?"

"There is no need." Matthew replied calmly, as if the threat were nothing. "I am merely speaking my observations. Is it truly right that we should hold one species in contempt for what they have done, rather than to see the good that they can potentially hold? Our rules, as useful as they once were, are now ignorant."

"How dare you!" Folkert roared angrily. "You would dare to speak against the foundations we have been living by?! They are there to protect us! Why would we change them now?!"

"You have been swayed by that foolish brother of yours!" Romulus snarled, baring his fangs. "Don't you come here to preach about humans being good when it is not true!"

Just as Matthew was about to be attacked by both elders, Alfred jumped in, standing protectively in front of his brother. "Don't touch him!" He hissed, not noticing that the crimson color was fading back to his original sky blue.

"You!" Folkert growled, rearing back. "You should be dead!"

"But I'm not!" Alfred spoke loudly, standing tall. "I was saved by the human who was commanded to kill me. Rather than keep the status of a Knight, he gave it up to save me. He also almost lost his life because of it. I am here now because of him."

"Our wars with humans were caused by the fact that we do not try to understand each other. Mistakes have been made but what if we learned to get along? Don't you think better things could be happening now? We wouldn't have to live in fear of being killed." Matthew said persistently.

"No such humans exist," Romulus snapped, wings flaring. "If they did, our lost kin would not be gone. They would be here with us!"

"It's because of all the misunderstandings!" Alfred argued.

"You are both fools!" Folkert hissed, flames escaping from his mouth.

"No! We're not! That human is real!" Alfred continued, sliding away from an attempted attack. He swiveled his head to look at Arthur. "And he would never betray me!"

Arthur grew more concerned as he saw the Elders become more hostile toward Alfred. He didn't want to see!anymore harm fall on his dragon. Throwing all caution to the wind, Arthur stood protectively in front of Alfred and glared at the elders.

"Such a human does exist!" Arthur declared. He used all of his concentration to transform back into his normal form. He stood on display for all of the dragons to see his human form. "I am that human and I would never betray Alfred."

There was a fearful collection of gasps and hisses from the dragons around them. Some started to try to flee but were stopped by the others.

The elders both seemed horrified that a human had even got into their midst without their even sensing of it.

"You- you brought a human here?!" Folkert demanded, eyes wide. "Are you mad?! He will reveal us to the other humans!"

"No he won't!" Alfred protested, his tail curling around the knight protectively. "He never revealed me to the other knights when he met me! He had plenty of chances to and yet he didn't! He kept quiet about me and even taught me how to make potions! He taught me how to make a healing potion! You all can't even do that, can you?"

"Humans can help us with many things if we get along! This man saved my life. When you all exiled me and had me sentenced to death, he was also in trouble. The knights were mad that he had taught me magic and that we were close. But did he betray me and kill me like they wanted him to? No! He risked his life, in front of all his people, and set me free. He almost died because of it." His voice was shaky when he recalled Arthur's near death. "But then I saved him too. The healing potion he taught me to make saved his life. Humans and dragons should be friends! Not enemies!"

He shifted back partially to his human form, although draconian features still remained, such as his horns, wings, and tail. He wrapped his arms around Arthur, looking pleadingly at the elders. "Can't you see past the hatred they've instilled in you, those few bad ones, and look at the many good ones like Arthur?"

Both elders remained silent.

Arthur clung to Alfred as pride swelled in his chest. He wanted to turn and kiss the dragon into oblivion for speaking so strongly to the Elders. But Arthur held his admiration at bay and used the Elder's silence as a chance to speak. "Alfred is right. We all must stop looking for the bad in each other and search for the good. Now is the time to make peace before we end up starting a war that will mean more death on both sides." He held his gaze with the Elders. Arthur's stare had almost turned into a pleading one. "Won't you at least arrange a meeting with our King and discus matters between our people before things get out of hand?"

Folkert growled at Arthur lowly in his throat but Romulus eyed Arthur with slight interest.

"You, you say you are interested in our kins coming together so that they may thrive as one." The golden dragon spoke, lowering his face so that he was eye level with the knight. "But to us it is a major risk. What have you to say for yourself that we will not be harmed if we were to go with your idea?"

Arthur stared at the dragon Elder in perplexity. Arthur really had no way to guarantee their safety. "I understand that you would be taking a risk by going along with this idea." Arthur spoke carefully. "Many of our people would see it as us taking a risk as well. Just as many humans, civilians not just knights, have perished at the hands of dragons."

Arthur began to grow uneasy. He didn't know what to do to get the Elders to trust him. Suddenly, an idea hit Arthur. This was a crazy idea and he didn't know how it could be done, but it was worth a shot. "But if you agree to hold a meeting with the King, then to show you that we are serious about making peace and not war, I will bring the King here to you. Without any of his escorts or knights. We will come unarmed and trust that you will not harm us just as you will trust us not to harm you."

"I will persuade him to come meet with you." Arthur answered calmly, although he felt as if he was digging his own grave. He didn't know how he would keep this promise but there was no backing out of it now. "If he comes of his own free will, then surely you will know that we speak the truth of peace."

Romulus pondered this for a moment and the other dragons were deathly silent, not knowing what would be decided.

"Very well," The golden dragon said, nodding his massive head. "I will accept your proposal. However, I will only accept it if you are able to bring him here. Otherwise you can consider your plan rejected."

Folkert did not seem as keen on the idea and frowned bitterly. "You have one more week to complete this task. I will not allow any more time to pass with such risks on the line."

"Understood." Arthur said with a bow. Arthur internally cursed himself. He had one week to do the impossible. And he hated to think what would happen if he didn't follow through on his promise.

"Don't you think that's a bit unreasonable?!" Alfred snapped, stepping forward at the silver dragon. "A week is no time at all."

"It is more unreasonable to expect the humans to agree to a meeting with us." Folkert replied coldly. "He was given his task and has accepted."

"He's right Alfred." Arthur whispered. He rested a hand on Alfred's shoulder to calm him. "We best leave now and start our preparations."

Alfred sighed, giving in. "Fine." He crossed his arms and started to stalk out of the formation.

Romulus stopped Atthur before he left, handing him a golden scale. "This will be my sign of protection for now. Should any dragon stop you, show them this and they will know that you are not to be harmed."

"Thank you." Arthur carefully tucked the scale away in his gambeson. He felt honored that this Elder, Romulus, was willing to give him a chance. "Thank you for giving us this chance to make peace."

Arthur gave Romulus a salute (usually shown as a sign if respect in his kingdom) before following Alfred out of the formation.

Matthew follows the other two closely, having shifted back to his human form. "Well, while we're on the topic, I'd like to go with you two. I might be able to help you."

"It'd be nice to have your help, Mattie." Alfred agreed, smiling. He pounced on Arthur and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You were great! I'm glad you were able to convince at least one of them."

"You did very well yourself. I'm so proud of the way you spoke to the Elders." Arthur responded fondly to Alfred. His cheeks were tinted pink from the kiss. "But I'm afraid I've placed us in a rather difficult position. The castle is heavily guarded by knights and I'm sure the security has doubled since our escape. It will be difficult to get in undetected."

"Yea, we can't disguise ourselves to get in, huh?" Alfred asked with a sigh. "And you don't have any connections to get in right?"

"This could be harder." Matthew agreed. "Especially if anyone finds out what we are."

"Well, nobody has seen me or Mattie as humans." Alfred mused, shrugging. "But I dunno if that's going to help in any way."

"It may come in handy later." Arthur noted. "We'll come back to that later. For now I'm going to teach you both the complete layout of the castle. Then in a couple of days we can scout the castle. We can determine how many knights are standing guard and which areas have the weakest security. Once we've gathered all the information we need, we can make a plan to sneak into the castle and try to convince the king to talk with the Elders."

"There's only one problem," Matthew intervened. "We don't have the luxury of spending a 'couple days' to learn everything. We only have a week. We'd better get it memorized by tomorrow night at the latest."

"You have a good point there." Arthur replied thoughtfully. "Well, I hope you two can pull an all nighter, because I've got a lot to teach you if we want to start scouting as soon as possible."

* * *

**How many if you thought the sex scene was going to happen in the stream? (Trololololol~!)**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and let us know what you think of the story. Review are very much appreciated by both of us.**

**Also, don't forget to check out Yamiyo's other stories. The link to her stories is on my profile.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again readers~! I was planning to post this chapter later on in the week but I got too excited and couldn't wait! **

**Also it has been brought to our attention by jojoandpicnic97 that we haven't really described what type of dragons are in the story.**

**Yamiyodarknight said, "They're not eastern type dragons. I visualized them as more like western type dragons, almost like the ones from Tales from Earthsea (by Miyazaki's son I believe) but not quite as detailed."**

**Hopefully that helps you all a bit to visualize what the dragons look like.**

**So without further ado… here's chapter 6!**

* * *

"Dammit, Al!" Matthew growled, stalking around the castle grounds. "I can't believe you'd just run off like that!"

He and his brother had been taught about the layout of the grounds, but now that they were here...he didn't know what his brother was doing. They'd even stolen clothes off some poor blokes clothes line.

He had an idea of where he was, but being alone in such a strange place was frightening.

"Excuse me Monsieur, but are you lost?" A voice behind Matthew asked.

Matthew whirled around with surprise, eyes widening. He hadn't expected to be caught so soon. "I-I..." He started to say, voice becoming shaky. He wasn't good with speaking with strangers, but he decided to play along, if only to be safe. "Y-yes. I'm lost." He said.

"I thought so." Francis said wearily. He had just gotten out of his armor after a long night of guarding his post. "The castle grounds are under strict security at the moment. Most of the citizens have been told to stay in the village, but you don't look like you're from around here."

Matthew had to force himself not to squirm under the other male's gaze. "N-no. I'm not from around here. I'm here on a traveling expedition with my brother. But we got separated and now I'm lost." He lied, messing with the hem of his shirt.

Francis breathed a heavy sigh. He was still in a foul mood from when the loathsome dragon flew off with Arthur. He was angry that the event didn't go as planned and he was worried about his missing friend. He had been concerned when Arthur had been hurt. The last thing he wanted to do was assist a lost traveler who was exploring an area that was currently _off limits_… But still, he felt some pity for the boy. He looked so innocent by the way he nervously played with the hem of his clothes.

"I can't let you go wandering around the grounds by yourself." Francis spoke. "But I can escort you around the grounds until we find your brother. He can't have gotten far." Francis decided he would feel terrible if he didn't help the young lad out. Plus, acting courteous towards civilians was part of his Knight's Code. And he couldn't go against his code.

Matthew was apprehensive of the offer and immediately started to shake his head. "N-no! It's quite alright!" He squeaked nervously. "I don't want to bother you!" Of course, in his mind it was more like, _I don't want to mess up and have you end up killing me cuz you'll find out I'm a dragon._

"Please Monsieur, I insist." Francis said while carelessly throwing and arm around the boys shoulder. "I know the grounds quite well so it should take us no time at all to find him. Plus… you are not permitted to walk the grounds by yourself."

Matthew wanted to shriek, he really did. This guy just had his arm carelessly thrown around his shoulders like they were overly familiar with each other. It bothered him much more than he'd have liked it to.

"O-okay then," he consented weakly, starting to tremble slightly. "Th-thank you."

Francis couldn't help but smile (something he hadn't done in a while) at the boy's mortified expression. It was funny to think that something so small could set the boy on edge. And if he was being truthful, it was kind of… cute.

"By the way, I believe we failed to introduce ourselves. My name is Francis Bonnefoy." The knight began to say as they walked off. "What might your name be?"

He wasn't sure if he should be telling the man his name, but figured he might as well since, one, no one knew him, and two, he'd never bothered to come up with a fake name. "Matthew...Matthew Williams..." He mumbled, trailing behind Francis. He didn't say his brother's name. He wasn't sure if the humans knew it when he was captured.

"Mathieu… Enchanté." Francis said. He took Matthew's hand and raised it to his lips to place a soft kiss. This was a gesture that he commonly used when meeting new people.

Matthew's face went a deep red and he yanked his hand away, stumbling back. "What was that for?!" He demanded, heart pounding. He didn't not know of humans having such intimate greetings. Why hadn't Arthur warned him about such things?

"I was merely greeting you, Mathieu." Francis laughed. "Please don't tell me that my small greeting is what caused you to become so flustered." He teased. Francis had never received this sort of reaction before. This boy was very different from others around here…

"W-well, it's not like we have those kinds of_greetings_ where I come from!" Matthew protested, not too happy about the teasing. "_Small_ _greeting_ is hardly the right term for… for something like **that**!"

"Well I do apologize. Please, forgive my rudeness." Francis bowed his head slightly in apology. But his dancing blue eyes said he was far from being sorry. "And might I ask where a lovely angel like you fell from?"

Matthew blinked. What kind of question was that supposed to be. And it's not like he could just go and say, "oh yes I live in the woods sometimes, and caves too. I'm a dragon so we kinda can't live in houses"! He also didn't know what he was supposed to make of that man's gaze. Was his heart supposed to be thumping that loudly?

"Er...well me and my brother are travelers. So we don't really stay in one place." Matthew lied again, hoping the blue-eyed tease would believe it.

"Why, that sounds so magnifique." Francis' eyes grew bright with interest. "I can't imagine what wondrous sights those lovely eyes of yours have gazed upon in your years of travel." Francis couldn't help but flirt with the traveler. It had been a while since he felt like this. Lively. Confident. Flirtatious… Like himself again.

"It can be," Matthew agreed. He had seen some good sights while flying at least, so it wasn't a whole lie. "But sometimes there are bad places too. Then it's not too great." Why did he feel like he was starting to relax around this person? He shouldn't be considering the situation.

"I'm so sorry that you've come across some unpleasant sights in your travels." Francis spoke genuinely. "Everything your eyes fall upon should be just as lovely as you." Francis then halted and his smile widened as he came up with an idea. "I just had a thought. If you don't mind waiting to find your brother, I would love to give you a tour inside the castle. I'm sure that you will find our castle grounds to be very pleasing to the eyes."

Matthew flushed at being called beautiful. Now that wasn't something he had expected to be called. But the offer got his attention. This man was offering to guide him through the castle?

He might as well have given him a map and clearance to wander wherever. Eyes shining hopefully, he asked, "Really? You'd really show me around?"

Francis felt his heart thump a few swift heavy beats in his chest. He didn't know if Matthew purposely meant to look that adorable with his bright eyes, but he found it quite enticing.

"Mon Cher, it would be an honor to show you the Kingdom of Hetalia's humble castle." Francis bowed in a gentlemanly fashion and offered a hand to Matthew.

Matthew couldn't help but smile at the blonde as he bowed and offered his hand.

The dragon hesitated, but decided to take Francis' hand anyways. Well, at least he was making headway into researching the castle. And he was being treated nicely, so that was a plus.

Francis happily lead Matthew around the castle grounds. As they approached the left wing entrance Francis shook his head in disappointment.

"Matthias and Lukas have left their post again." He muttered exasperatedly. "They are good Knights but they can be hard to work with at times." Francis explained to Matthew.

"Oh." Matthew replied simply. "I take it you're a knight. So what kinds of things do you all do?" It was something he was curious about. He figured he might as well ask someone willing to speak.

"You must have traveled very far indeed if you do not know what a knight does." Francis replied as they walked down the halls of the Castle. "Well, a Knight must fight and serve their citizens according to the Code of Chivaly. If you ask me, I find some parts of the code a bit outdated, but there is still one Knight who is very strict about keeping to the code… or at least he used to be strict about it." Francis returned to his solemn state as his mind wandered back to Arthur.

Matthew knew he was talking about Arthur. "Does that include the whole deal with dragons? I do not understand, forgive me if this sounds insulting, why you would hunt them."

"It is simple to understand, non?" Francis looked quizzically at the traveler. "They are brutal creatures that destroy our lands and take what rightfully belongs to us."

Matthew frowned, trying not to feel hurt. "Well...can you be so sure about that? Have you truly met a dragon and spoke with them?" He replied softly, looking away. "Maybe they're not as bad as you're making them out to be..."

"I don't need to speak to one to know what terrible creatures they are." Francis frowned. He did not like this topic of conversation. "Dragons burned my house down to the ground and most recently one stole something I cared very much about." Francis' expression turned dark.

Matthew didn't comment. Now he was sure he felt pangs in his chest. Even though he wasn't responsible for what happened to Francis, he was being called an evil creature. He looked sadly at the man, "Im sorry. I'm going to go now. I'm certain my brother is looking for me." He bit his lip and turned away before trying to hurry off.

Francis quickly snapped out of his hateful stupor as the traveler began to rush towards the entrance. "Matthieu wait!" Francis sprinted after him. Had he scared him away with his scary expression?

Francis was finally able to catch up to Matthew outside near the Castle garden. "I apologize if I offended you in some way, but there is no reason to hurry off. After all, I did not help you find your brother." Francis spoke in a rush trying to get him to stay. It had been a while since he had someone like Matthew to talk to and he couldn't stand to see him go.

"N-no." Matthew declined, shaking his head. "I'd better go on my own, thank you." He smiled sadly. "Thank you for guiding me around but I don't think it's good for me to stay here any longer. And... There are things you don't understand. About me."

He looked as he noticed Alfred waving for him. (_Where had he been the whole time?!_) But he also noticed the angry look when he'd spotted Francis. He gave his brother a curt shake of his head to do nothing. Alfred frowned but obeyed.

Francis was disheartened to see who he could only assume was Matthew's brother. "I understand." Francis said sadly. In a last attempt to make the traveler happy, he picked a rose off a nearby bush (careful not to prick his finger) and gave it to Matthew. "I understand that you need to leave and I know little about you…but please give me a chance to learn about who you are. Please, return to see me whenever you like."

Matthew frowned. "You want to know who I am? Francis... Do you think I am a bad person?" He asked, gently taking the rose between his fingers.

Francis furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Matthew in surprise. "Non… non I do not think you are a bad person. Your eyes hold too much kindness for you to be bad." Francis answered as genuinely as he could.

Matthew laughed very softly. "Then you are very much a hypocrite." He said. "If you really want to know about me, then I will show you." He pulled Francis (who now had a confused look on his face) with him, Alfred had already gone ahead to the forest to wait for him to leave.

Matthew stopped a bit away from where his brother was and let go of Francis' hand. "I asked you that question earlier for a reason. Maybe...I could have changed your mind for the better." He said.

He shifted into his dragon form and nudged the knight softly with his snout. "I'm sorry," he apologized, violet eyes showing his sadness. "I would have liked to get to know you too. Just like how Arthur and Alfred got to know each other. My brother isn't bad, you know. Neither is Arthur. There is love between them and it makes them strong." He pulled away, letting a violet scale fall to the blonde's feet. "I wish you could see that too." He flapped his wings and took off into the air, the blue dragon right behind him.

Francis was unable to speak when Matthew revealed himself. So many emotions welled up inside him. (Especially when Alfred and Arthur were mentioned.) Anger and sorrow. Repulsion and devastation. Apprehension and confusion. Francis felt all these emotions and more as Matthew flew away.

He looked down at the violet scale on the ground. It seemed to mock him has he gazed upon it. Francis had every intention to leave it where it was and angrily rush back to the Castle and forget he ever met the trav… the_dragon_. But, for reasons that he couldn't explain, Francis picked up the scale and placed it in his pocket.

* * *

Matthew was silent on the way back to the cave they were all staying at, not answering any of Alfred's questions of why he was with Francis and why he'd revealed his true form to him. He was sad, truly sad. He had been hoping that he'd met a human who'd understand like Arthur did. But he maybe he was wrong about that.

He didn't say anything to Arthur when he got back either. He didn't really want to say anything at the moment.

"What happened to Matthew?" Arthur questioned Alfred. He kept his voice barely above a whisper and kept throwing concerned glances at the gloomy dragon.

Alfred shrugged slightly. "I'm not quite sure. When we had to leave he was with… _Francis_." He spat the man's name with disgust. "And he revealed himself as a dragon to him. He wouldn't tell me why."

"What?!" Arthur asked in a exaggerated whisper. His expression became hard. "What did he do to make Matthew do that?!… I swear the next time I see that frog I'll **castrate **him."

"I told you! I don't know!" Alfred hissed, just as worried about Matthew as Arthur was. "He just was like that when we left. Why don't you ask him? Maybe he'll tell you."

Arthur gave an exasperated sigh before leaving Alfred to talk to Matthew. He approached him hesitantly and spoke softly. "Matthew… are you alright? Francis didn't harm you, did he?"

Matthew looked at Arthur, bewildered, before an irritated look came over his face. "Alfred talked to you, didn't he?" He sighed. "I'm fine. Just mad at myself, I guess. I don't know what I was thinking, showing him that I was a dragon. But no, he didn't do anything to me."

Arthur sat next to the dragon and gave him a pat on the back. "I'll admit that wasn't the brightest idea." Arthur spoke truthfully. "But I trust that you did what you thought was best at the moment. And you returned to us safely. That's what matters."

"I guess. But I wonder if I did the right thing, showing him." Matthew said. "I mean, I felt really hurt when he said that dragons are 'terrible creatures'. I mean, I'm not bad and neither is my brother. But what bothers me most is why I'm bothered by what he said."

"Well… why are you bothered by what he said?" Arthur inquired.

"I don't know!" Matthew cried, startling himself by how loud he'd said that. He hadn't meant to. "I don't know. I just felt really bad for some reason when he said that..."

Arthur wrapped his arms around Matthew and started rubbing small comforting circles in his back. He waited patiently for Matthew to continue. He didn't want to press him for more information and cause him more distress.

"He was very kind to me," Matthew explained. "I admit, I used that to my advantage, but I figured it would help since we needed to learn the layout of that place in person. He kept saying really nice things to me, and I was hoping that maybe I'd met someone who understood, but then I found out who he was. And I still tried to get past that, but then I asked him about dragons and he said how horrible we were and I just..." He stopped speaking, tears filling his eyes.

Arthur mentally cursed Francis. Oh, he was**sure** that stupid frog acted like the perfect gentleman towards Matthew. The man always acted flirtatiously to anyone with a pretty face… but Arthur wasn't about to tell Matthew that.

"Don't pay any mind to what he said. He… has always been bitter towards dragons. He lost his parents when his house burned down and he has lived with my family ever since then." Arthur spoke more quietly, feeling some pity for his old friend. "He actually is a good person. (Even if he and I do fight a lot.) But he is still dealing with a lot of hurt. Give him time and I'm sure he will change his view on dragons."

Matthew nodded slowly, still not sure if that would be the case. "Yea...I guess you're right. It just hurts me that he thinks all dragons are bad just because one happened to do him wrong. But I guess we did the same with the humans, huh?" He smiled sadly at Arthur. "It makes me regret what I did to Alfred and you, before I learned."

"But the point is that you **did** learn." Arthur insisted. "You changed your views and so can Francis. We have to hope that people can change… otherwise there will be no point to what we are trying to do."

Matthew nodded and stood up slowly. "I'm going to go and rest a bit. If you have any questions about the layout, and whatever's changed, you can ask Alfred." He then left the cave.

Arthur waited for Matthew to leave the cave before letting out a long frustrated groan and covered his face with his hands. Francis was just causing them too much trouble.

"So what'd he say?" Alfred asked, wondering what Arthur had been told. "He kept ignoring me the whole time back and wouldn't answer any of my questions!"

"He's just feeling a bit hurt and confused at the moment." Arthur lifted his head up to look at Alfred. "Apparently, Francis left quite an impression on him."

Alfred growled lowly in his throat, not happy at all. "I can't believe he'd even **like** that guy!" He exclaimed. "He's such a jerk! Mattie does not need to be around someone like him! He's too innocent!"

Arthur didn't comment. He was still very upset with Francis (really more than upset) for what he did to Alfred. But part if him wanted to believe that Francis could change. Change for the sake of their friendship, change for the sake of peace, and now (more than anything) change for Matthew's sake.

"Yes well, how about we forget about Francis for the time being." Arthur said wanting to get to more important matters. "What did you discover on your little scouting trip?"

"Well," Alfred said, "the guards seem to be on an hourly shift. There's a time of about 10 minutes while they change positions. So we'd have to move pretty quickly to get in."

"Hmm… we can probably sneak at nighttime during a shift change. The Knights have always been less vigilant during that time so we will have a better chance of being unnoticed." Arthur mused. "Were you able to take a small glance of the inside?"

"Vaguely. The shifts were quicker then. About half the time for them to switch." Alfred replied.

"Alright. Well I know it's a long shot to ask this but… Did you happen to see or hear anything concerning the King's whereabouts?" Arthur asked intently. "This is the most important information for us to know. If they moved him to a different part of the Castle then we will be wondering aimlessly around the halls trying to looking for him. And that means we will have a higher risk of being caught."

"Sorry," Alfred mumbled, looking greatly disappointed. "I listened around, even by some of the guards to eavesdrop on them, but I didn't hear anything about him. I don't know if they've hidden him away or if he's carrying about as normal… Should we still continue this?"

Arthur's stomach turned at this information. There were hundreds of rooms in the castle, dozens of secret passageways, and dozens of knights patrolling the hallways. It would be so easy for them to get caught if they tried looking into every room of the castle to find the king.

They simply couldn't go through with the plan. It was too dangerous… but Arthur promised the Elders he would bring the King. And he didn't want to think about what might happen if he didn't follow through on his word.

"We still need to go through with the plan." Arthur finally spoke. "We'll check the King's chambers first. If he's not there then we will need to think of something else."

"That might be for the best," Alfred agreed quietly, eyes showing he was deep in thought. "Perhaps then I could track him down by scent if anything. His chambers would have his smell all over it. We could use that. He wouldn't think we could transform to humans so we can use that to our advantage too."

"I hadn't thought of that." Arthur blinked in surprise. "If the King isn't in his chambers then you can track him down. But if we do that then we will have to be quick. I'm sure that there will be some sort of magical enchantment to let one if the guards know that there are intruders. We will have to go in and out as fast as possible so no one catches us."

"Right." Alfred agreed again. "I'd rather this go over quickly and smoothly if at all possible. I think we should have Mattie keep lookout for us. He's got good vision, especially at night. His scales are pretty dark so he can blend in, especially if it's cloudy (plus everyone usually doesn't see him anyways). He can warn us if there's a problem."

"Right." Arthur nodded in agreement. "…I guess that's all we need to have planned for now. We can explain this all to Matthew in the morning and break into the castle around midnight when the knights change shifts."

"Alright. I'll make sure he knows before it gets too late", Alfred replied, smiling slightly. "I'm sure everything will go alright with the three of us working together."

Arthur didn't reply. He instead gave Alfred a weak smile, although he knew it must have looked strained. But Arthur couldn't help it.

Ever since the incident at the arena, the young Knight's head was constantly swimming with worry and doubt. He worried that something would go wrong again and he doubted (that if Alfred should be put in danger once again) that Arthur would be strong enough to protect him.

This plan was very risky and there was a good chance of one of them being caught. It terrified Arthur to think that he might not have much time left with his beloved Dragon if things were to go wrong.

Sensing Arthur's worry, Alfred wrapped his arms around his knight. "It'll be ok, Artie. I'm going to make sure you'll be alright and nothing bad will happen."

He was actually worried himself, but if he let the other know that, it would only make his worry worsen. He just wanted it all to go alright. No more wars or murders. Just peace between two species that had the potential to help each other.

"I'm going to make sure that it'll go alright," he stated firmly.

Arthur could only nod and leaned into the warmth of Alfred's embrace. He wished they could always be like this. The dragon was always this way towards Arthur. Always so kind. So gentle…

Arthur didn't know what he would do if he lost Alfred. He feared what it would be like to never hold him in his arms. To kiss him warmly… And Arthur never even had the chance to fully… _enjoy_ Alfred's company…

These thoughts began to stir something within the Knight. A sudden feeling of longing overcame him. A longing to be closer to Alfred. To be closer than he had ever been with anyone.

"Alfred…" Arthur glanced up nervously at the dragon and flushed slightly. He paused trying to think of how to tell the other how he felt.

Alfred looked down at Arthur, pulling away just enough so he could get a better look at the other. "Something wrong?" He asked, worrying about the knight's flushed face. "Your face is red. You ok?"

That comment made Arthur want to feel embarrassed about thinking these thoughts, but he pushed the feeling aside.

He took a calming breath before boldly fixing his eyes on Alfred's. "I was just thinking." Arthur spoke quietly. "I just… just wish we could be closer."

Alfred cocked his head in confusion. "We aren't close enough?" He asked, not understanding what Arthur meant. He had been hugging him, hadn't he? How could they get any closer?

Arthur didn't speak his answer. Words still failing him, and not knowing how to address it to Alfred, the knight tried a different approach.

Arthur shifted so that his and Alfred's chests were lightly pressed against each other. His eyes became half lidded and slowly, Arthur placed his hands on the dragon's shoulders, brushed over Alfred's neck, and let his fingers entwine into Alfred's hair.

Alfred blushed a deep red, finally figuring out what was meant when Arthur pressed against his body, tangling his fingers in his golden hair.

A surprised "Oh" was all he could get out from throat. Well, this was unexpected. Or was it?

Face still retaining its flushed color, he decided he wanted to go along with this. He let one hand settle on Arthur's slim waist, gripping it firmly before letting the other one brush lightly against Arthur's cheek.

"You sure you wanna go with this Artie?" He asked quietly, not wanting to startle the other.

"Yes." Arthur answered in faint exhalation. He leaned closer. Their noses brushed together and Arthur's lips ghosted over Alfred's. "I want to be with you like this." As he spoke he let his hands hold the other just a little tighter; trying to express how much he wanted Alfred.

Alfred nodded wordlessly and pressed his lips against Arthur's own soft ones. He couldn't say he hadn't been wanting to touch Arthur like this beforehand.

He let his curiosity take over and reached one hand under the smaller male's shirt, feeling the unblemished skin underneath it. He made sure to move slowly, carefully, so that he didn't make Arthur feel too uncomfortable. He didn't want to frighten him.

Arthur let his eyes fall shut and gave in, letting Alfred initiate while he submitted slowly. He relished in the feeling of being kissed, being _touched_, by Alfred like this. Alfred's hesitant caresses made Arthur's heart pound quicker, harder.

Arthur barely parted his lips, inviting Alfred to a fuller kiss as he clung tightly to the other.

He was fearful of Arthur becoming hesitant towards the intimate touching but when he felt the knight relinquish himself to the touches, he felt more drawn to making the feeling of his soft flesh well-known in his mind. He could hear Arthur's heart pounding and it made his own pulse quicken.

He accepted Arthur's invitation for a deeper kiss, running his tongue across his green-eyed lover's lips, tasting them before slipping past them to run it across Arthur's.

Arthur felt the kiss quickly become more powerful. The more he responded the more passionate Alfred became. So Arthur reciprocated, matching Alfred's intensity while still relenting and letting himself be overpowered.

For what seemed like ages, and yet at the same time felt like seconds, they didn't part. Arthur felt himself growing more aroused and his breathing became more ragged.

Arthur broke the kiss then moving to nuzzle his face in the crook of Alfred's neck. He panted slightly and mumbled, "Come with me." He stood and grasped Alfred's hands; leading him to the nest of furs in the cave. "If we want to do this right we can't be sitting on a couple of boulders all night." Arthur spoke in a teasing tone.

Alfred snorted with amusement at the comment and let himself be pulled over to his nest of furs. "I hadn't planned on letting us lay on boulders anytime soon," he chuckled softly.

He sat on the furs and pulled Arthur down with him onto his lap, pulling the knight's legs around his waist before kissing him again. "But I did plan on making you mine eventually," he continued, tugging Arthur's shirt off over his head, revealing pale skin.

A jolt of thrill ran up Arthur's spine upon hearing Alfred's words, making him groan softly. And when his shirt was removed, Arthur didn't try to cover himself or avoid Alfred's gaze like he had done at the stream. He gave Alfred's piercing blue eyes a few moments to rake over him, before he leant forward to press his lips hungrily against the dragons.

"I've always wanted… to be yours…" Arthur confessed in between kisses as he began pulling at Alfred's shirt, trying to take it off. "Since the first day… I met you." Arthur succeeded in removing Alfred's shirt and didn't hesitate to press their bare chests together. He couldn't hold back a soft cry of pleasure at the feeling of skin touching skin.

Alfred let out a low, possessive growl at what Arthur said, moving away from the kiss so he could nip at the knight's neck tenderly, teasing the skin there with his teeth.

He let his hands wander over the milky skin of Arthur's chest again, following the small dips and curves that formed such an elegant form. It was pleasantly cool to the touch but felt as of it were heating up under his ministrations.

He dipped his head lower to suck on Arthur's collarbone, leaving a red mark in that place. He planned on letting anyone who saw it know that Arthur was **his** and that was that.

Arthur began to feel lightheaded with the way Alfred touched him; but his body felt differently. Alfred's possessive touches made Arthur feel like fire was coursing through his veins. It vaguely reminded him of what he felt like while taking the shape shifting potion. But this wasn't the same fire. No this was a new fire. It was a much different fire. Instead of pain, Arthur felt nothing but heat and pleasure burning through him. Clouding his mind and causing him to lose track of all the places the dragon touched.

"_Alfred!_" Arthur moaned softly, running his fingers through Alfred's hair as the dragon nipped at his skin. His hands then moved downward to cling to the dragons arms… shoulders… anywhere and everywhere he could reach. Wanting to feel more of the dragons powerful muscles moving beneath smooth skin; and wanting to feel more of that pleasurable fire and passion that only Alfred could fill him with.

The fact it was **his** name being called made Alfred's body heat up. Arthur wanted **him**. He was reciprocating all the loving touches he received, and it made Alfred want to love him even more.

He could feel all the caresses on his arms and shoulders that Arthur gave. It sent a pleasantly hot sensation down his spine, making him utter a soft groan of his own.

Arthur's movements were elegant in his eyes. He wanted to see more. He wanted to see his back arch towards his touch, to see him writhe underneath him.

He pressed Arthur onto his back, hovering over him on hands and knees. What a beautiful quivering mess he had before him.

Arthur's breath caught when his back hit the soft furs beneath them. With Alfred hovering over him, blue eyes burning and full of longing, Arthur instantly felt more open and vulnerable. And he welcomed it.

Arthur's pants were becoming unbearably tight. He wanted **more**. Grabbing at Alfred's sides, Arthur thrusted up into the dragon.

Alfred shut his eyes and let out another small groan at the contact before grabbing Arthur's hips and forcing them to stay still. He grimaced at the blonde beneath him. "It's not nice to tease, Artie," he scolded softly. "I don't wanna rush this, ok?"

He lowered his head and ran his tongue alongside Arthur's neck before stopping at the junction where jaw met neck, nibbling at the skin there. "We're going to take this slow and learn."

Arthur wanted to protest. Alfred was already driving him crazy with gentle touches and tender kisses. Arthur was burning madly for the dragon to just take him now. But at the same he didn't want to rush the other.

Arthur willed himself to relax and not get too excited. He looked up bashfully and placed an apologetic kiss on the dragons lips. "Sorry love." He murmured. "You just make me feel so eager."

Alfred smiled warmly at the comment and kissed Arthur back softly in return. "It's alright. I just don't want to rush and hurt you by mistake. Just let me get a feel for you."

He moved downward, trailing kisses and leaving marks down the blonde's previously unmarked skin while his hands rubbed and caressed where he wasn't touching. He was going to make sure that Arthur was marked.

One hand roamed down father and rubbed against Arthur's groin, the other playing the with the hem of his pants.

Arthur almost forgot how to breathe as Alfred's kisses trailed lower and lower across his chest. Arthur had to concentrate on Alfred's beating heart to calm himself down enough to suck in a trembling breath.

Arthur reveled in Alfred's delicate touches. His breathing now turned into panting as he tried desperately not urge Alfred to hurry. But nothing could stop the Knight from throwing his head back and let out a needy moan as Alfred touched the most forbidden of places.

Alfred gave a sly smile at the moan; the sound of such a cry was very appealing. He tugged the pants off and tossed them aside, not caring as to where they landed before taking in the sight of his Arthur, disheveled and reddened and not hidden by any clothing.

He'd had to cover his eyes last time, but now he wasn't going to let the chance to look at his beautiful lover slip away. "You never told me how pretty you are, Arthur," the dragon commented, appreciating his job of marking the blonde. "You're so beautiful."

Arthur felt himself flush further upon Alfred's compliments, but felt blissfully happy under the dragons adoring gaze. "Don't be… ridiculous." Arthur panted.

Arthur brought a hand up to cup Alfred's cheek as place the other hand on the dragons firm chest. He looked admirably at the well built form in front of him. "You on the other hand are simply gorgeous."

Alfred blushed slightly and chuckled. "I'm not being ridiculous here, you are." He pressed a kiss to Arthur's cheek and then one to his forehead. "You're very much beautiful and I'm lucky that I get to keep you by my side."

He pulled away and tugged his own pants off, giving a small sigh of relief. It was getting a little too uncomfortable with them on.

"You wouldn't happen to have some kind of oil on you would you?" Alfred asked curiously, moving back to Arthur.

Arthur's mind went blank. Seeing the dragon fully unclothed in front of him caused his pounding heart to jump in his chest.

It took him a few moment to find his voice. "I-in my bag." The knight stuttered. "There should be a jar of salve. I-it should work well enough."

Alfred nodded and padded off to find it. He dug around in the bag before he found the jar. He could smell the herbs used to make it and liked the scent.

He stepped back over to Arthur and kneeled back down next to him. "Hey Artie, I have I warn you... It's gonna hurt, especially if I don't prepare you right. If you get scared, tell me, and I'll stop immediately. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Arthur nodded, already knowing about how painful it was, but he was fully prepared to face the unpleasantness and become closer to the dragon.

He wrapped his arms around Alfred and brought him down to his level. "I can handle it." He whispered into Alfred's ear before nibbling on it.

Alfred nodded, slightly uneasy about the possibility of hurting Arthur, but decided against calling quits there.

He twisted the jar of salve open and set it down before pressing Arthur onto his back again. "I'm going to go slow." He repeated. "Stop me if anything is wrong, but for now just relax as much as you can. I want this to feel good for you."

Alfred moved to spread Arthur's legs, settling between them before dipping a finger into the salve. He planted soft kiss on the knight's lips before deepening it and let his finger circle Arthur's entrance before pressing it slowly inside.

Arthur relaxed himself against the furs and whimpered when the finger pressed inside him. It felt odd, but at the same time it felt pleasant.

Arthur moaned lightly to let Alfred know it was ok to continue.

Alfred felt his concern grow when Arthur whimpered, he didn't want to hurt him, but when a moan was uttered, he covered a second finger with some salve and slipped that one inside as well.

Avoiding making his knight feel any pain, he put the salve down and used his second hand to start rubbing Arthur's shaft, trying to pleasure him.

"_Aaah!_" Arthur cried in pleasure. It was somewhat painful, but he found the feeling of being stretched and stroked to be a deliciously pleasant combination.

Oh how that cry sent a wave of longing through Alfred. "Keep singing for me," he pleaded huskily, moving and scissoring both fingers inside, brushing against the inner walls of Arthur's body. "You've got such a lovely voice. I want to hear you more."

Arthur tried to reply but his voice was lost. All he could do is moan and groan as Alfred's fingers began to scissor inside him. Arthur latched his hands onto Alfred's shoulders to control the fire growing inside him.

His restraint was really coming undone now. Alfred couldn't help but want to just take him right then and there, he was just too enticing. It was like a perfect little lamb being set in front of a ravenous beast, which actually wasn't far from the truth.

He let a third finger slip in after coating it with the salve, moving all three fingers inside, stretching Arthur as much as he could so he wouldn't be hurt later.

Arthur cried out again, louder than the last time, as the third finger stretched him even further. Unintentionally, Arthur thrusted onto the fingers, causing them to brush against something inside the knight.

"_Ahn! **Alfred!**_" Arthur cried out, seeing white. Hands gripping harder into the dragon.

"God dammit, Artie," Alfred hissed, gritting his teeth. "You're just so enticing, I can't wait anymore!" He pulled his fingers out and pulled the lusty blond up and back into his lap. "Bear with me okay?" He grabbed the jar of salve again and rubbed a generous amount on his erection before positioning Arthur over it. "Move down, but slowly. Don't rush, you'll just get hurt." He placed his hands firmly on the slim hips of the knight, keeping hold so he remained steady. "Take your time alright?"

Anticipation swelled in Arthur's chest for what was about to happen. Before making any movement, Arthur gazed into Alfred's sky blue eyes. Those kind eyes full of desire, for**him**. Arthur wished he could express into words how much he loved the dragon for his goodness, his patience, his gentleness… his love for the knight that made Arthur's heart full of adoration.

Keeping his burning gaze, Arthur carefully pushed himself _down_. There was a slight sting as his body stretched, but it was erotically painful. Arthur rested his head into the nook of Alfred's neck, tightly closing his eyes. His panting grew harsher as he slowly continued his downward decent until he was sitting on the dragons hips.

Alfred couldn't help but adore the softness of the emerald eyes that stared back into his own sapphire ones. Eyes that said so much with no words, speaking so many thoughts and feelings.

He couldn't restrain a low, drawn-out groan as Arthur lowered himself, enveloping him in a hot, tight heat. He panted, stroking Arthur's hair softly as he pressed kisses on his forehead and lips. "Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

"Yes." Arthur nodded hesitantly. He loved hearing Alfred groan, knowing that he was the cause of it. He wanted to make Alfred feel good. He wanted to show him as much love as the dragon showed Arthur.

Arthur shifted slightly to get a better angle and pressed closer to the dragon. He placed a slow kiss on Alfred's lips. "I-I'm ready." Arthur shakily spoke against the others lips. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Alfred replied breathlessly, kissing Arthur a bit more deeply than before. "I'm gonna make you see stars," he whispered in the knight's ear.

He gripped Arthur's hips more firmly and lifted him slightly before pulling him back down to thrust into him, groaning as he did.

Arthur moaned against Alfred's lips with each thrust. After a few more thrusts, Arthur felt Alfred hit that pleasurable place causing the Knight to almost scream in pleasure.

"**_Aaah!_** Alfred… please… there again." Arthur cried.

_Oh so that was where it was_, the dragon could only muse, biting and nipping at his knight's lips. He angled his thrusts towards that spot again, listening to Arthur's voice and breathing, the telltale signs that he was doing something right.

Arthur eagerly began meeting Alfred's thrusts, trying to create more friction between them. All the while, he returned Alfred's heated kisses and ran his hand over shoulder blades, whimpering at the amazement of feeling warm skin.

Alfred let go of Arthur's hips to cup his face instead, bringing the knight in for more kisses. He could feel the heat being exuded from the other's body, and it felt pleasant, especially when he could feel himself slipping deeper inside Arthur's body. He gave out moans of his own as Arthur moved with him, muffled with their lips pressed together.

Arthur swallowed Alfred's moans, letting his body be enveloped in warmth and passion and Alfred. He kept a lustful stare at the dragon, only closing them when a powerful wave of bliss swept over him. He could feel it in his core. The warm feeling was now becoming hot. Burning white-hot. Bringing him closer to climax.

"A-Alfred… I-I don't think I can last much longer." Arthur warned. He was desperately trying to hold on. To last longer for Alfred.

"Don't hold yourself back," Alfred ordered, nuzzling against Arthur's neck. "I-I don't think I'm going to last much longer either..." Not with the warm, lustful gaze he was getting, or the tight hold on his skin. There were too many wonderful feelings happening at once. He continued to thrust against the cluster of nerves inside the blonde, bringing them both over the edge.

Arthur screamed louder then ever before as Alfred brought him over the edge. White lights danced across his vision as he spilled himself all over his and Alfred's stomachs.

Arthur's shout of pleasure was too much, snapping Alfred's last restraint. With a cry of the knight's name and a tightened hold of his body, the dragon climaxed, filling the blonde with his seed.

He gasped for breath, leaning his head against Arthur's shoulder before hugging him tightly to his chest.

Arthur couldn't do much but weakly hold on to Alfred as the aftershocks of his orgasm glided over him. His chest heaved from exhaustion.

Alfred caressed Arthur's hair, murmuring words of love and adoration for his lover, the other hand rubbing his back comfortingly. He felt elated, ecstatic; he couldn't even think of all the words to describe how happy he was. Arthur was **his**, he got to make the knight **his**.

Maybe it sounded conceited or something but he just felt really glad that he was able to mark Arthur as his own, _his mate_.

He felt a new kind of possessiveness flood through him. He wasn't going to let anyone take or hurt his knight. They were going to have to deal with a very angry and ferocious dragon before that ever happened.

Arthur reluctantly moved until Alfred was no longer inside him, leaving him feeling somewhat empty. He then proceeded to pull Alfred back until they were laying next to each other in the furs.

"I love you." Arthur whispered softly. He kissed the dragons brow. At that moment, Arthur felt so much love and comfort from Alfred. No longer was his mind full of worries about what dangers lay ahead of them. Because right now, he was Alfred's. And Alfred was his. And nothing could change that.

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**Yay! Yamiyodarknight and Italiancrybaby's first lemon has been posted! How did we do? Leave us a review to know what you think. We really appreciate reviews, but not flames… Flame this story and I send Yamiyo out at you!**

**Also don't forget to check out Yamiyodarknight's other stories. The link to her fanfic is on my profile. n_n**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again readers~! Time to infiltrate the castle! **

**There are a lot of characters in this chapter so let me list off for you who is writing as who…**

**ItalianCrybaby: Arthur, Francis, Berwald, Tino, Vash, and King Roderich**

**YamiyoDarknight: Alfred, Matthew, Felix, and Toris**

**We hope you all enjoy this nice long chapter. n_n**

* * *

Beams of light shined into the night from the magnificent castle, illuminating the entrance as well as the Knights who stood there.

The two Knights stood at attention, giving the appearance of holding a strong security over their post, but the three figures hiding in the darkness had already assessed their flaws.

"That's Lukas and Mathias." Arthur whispered to the two dragons on either side of him. They were hidden behind some foliage where the castle light could not reach them. "They always leave their post early, so we will have enough time to slip by before the next watch shows up."

"Well, let's hope they leave soon. I don't want to sit here for too long, lest we be caught." Matthew whispered back, violet eyes shining with worry.

"It'll be fine bro," Alfred hissed, cuffing his brother.

"Easy for you to say," Matthew growled.

Arthur ignored the two brothers and concentrated on the castle before him. He was in his "Knight Mode" at the moment. Green eyes stared unseeing, but easily imagining the scene within.

"It shouldn't be long now." Arthur assured the others.

The two hushed and watched the guards again, looking for any sign of movement.

"Is there going to be anyone else nearby?" Matthew asked.

"No, the King expects the patrols to be perfectly synchronized but these two can be quite careless." Informed Arthur. "And the Knights taking over the next shift always arrive perfectly on time. I know which route they take to their post, so we can avoid them easily."

Arthur stopped talking when the two knights began conversing with each other. It looked like they were starting to argue about something. Arthur was afraid that maybe they had been discovered by the two, but his fear dissipated when Mathias grabbed Lukas' hand and dragged the smaller man away from their post.

"Alright it looks like they're leaving!" Alfred cheered quietly. "Let's get a move on!"

"Hush Alfred! Someone could hear you!" Matthew scolded. "We need to be careful. Do what Arthur tells you to do and do nothing else!"

"Just stay quiet and follow me." Arthur ordered quietly.

The ex-knight looked around once more to make sure the coast was clear before hurriedly running across the lawn and into the castle.

Alfred and Matthew followed closely behind, making sure that their footsteps were as quiet as possible.

Once they were inside, Matthew began to look around. He could recognize some of it from when he'd been escorted by Francis. "The hallway we need to be in isn't far from here, is it?"

"It's a few hallways down but we need to take a longer route to avoid the guards." Arthur answered. "We start by heading towards the left wing." He continued to lead the two; stopping them every so often to look around each corner before continuing.

"I trust your judgement," Matthew replied, eyes flicking around to paranoidly watch his environment. "I'm just a bit worried that maybe there's more guards placed around than what you remember..."

"It'll be fine, Mattie. Calm down. Arthur knows this place well and we've got our good senses." Alfred retorted. "Nothing to worry about."

Matthew frowned but nodded anyways. He'd obey the orders without question anyways but still...

Arthur didn't comment. He was hesitant to address Matthew's concerns because he shared them himself.

Sure, Arthur had the Knight's schedules perfectly memorized, but he was worried that adjustments had been made in his absence. That's why they had to scout the castle to gain as much information as possible, but they only discovered little changes on the outer walls. Arthur had no idea what they would find deeper inside.

"We just need to stay alert." Arthur finally answered as they carefully rounded another corner. "Listen for anyone patrolling the halls and always look out for a place to hide in case we need to go unnoticed by people coming our way." Arthur motioned towards possible objects to hide behind in the hallway they were currently walking down. There were long drapes and tapestries along with some large artwork on display in almost every hallway.

Both dragons nodded and Matthew made sure to keep a sharp eye out for possible hidden things or people. He had good vision in the dark so it was easy to tell, but he was still cautious.

"And definitely no sneezing," Matthew warned accusingly at Alfred who grinned bashfully.

"Sorry, I don't do it on purpose!" He apologized.

"Yea, well, we don't need you spouting flame and letting everyone know we're here!" The violet dragon hissed. "So keep anything and everything held in!"

"Would you both be quiet?!" Arthur hissed. "The King's room is down the next hallway. I don't know if there are any guards there so we need to be careful."

Both, again, went silent at the command and settled down sheepishly.

"I can keep watch at the door to see if anyone is coming," Matthew offered, embarrassed. "You two can investigate as you need to."

"Thank you, Matthew." Arthur replied gratefully. They stopped one last time to check if the coast was clear. Sure enough, the corridor leading to the King's bedchambers was empty.

Arthur approached the door first, looking to see if any spells were cast upon it. It was secured with 3 different Confining Charms, but Arthur could disarm them easily. After muttering a few spells of his own, the door swung open for them.

"Alfred come with me. Matthew, if you hear someone coming, alert us and hide yourself as quickly as possible." Arthur ordered quietly.

"S-sure thing!" Matthew affirmed, immediately taking his position by the door. "I'll knock three times on the door if I see anyone coming. You two get going with investigating."

Arthur placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze in gratitude before entering the room with Alfred. They shut the door for extra safety and began scanning the room.

"As to be expected, the King isn't here." Arthur noted looking around the grand room. The bed was made neatly and the water basin was completely dry meaning it wasn't used in the past couple days. After surveying the room Arthur turned to Alfred. "What do you need for tracking down the King?"

Alfred stepped around the room sniffing the air around them. "It's been empty, yes, but he was here recently. They probably have him change clothes in here. I can smell a ton of other people around here which means that they keep a lot of guards around when he **is **here." Alfred responded, before coming to a wardrobe. He opened the doors and grabbed a sleeve of an outfit, putting it to his nose.

He took a log sniff of of it and pulled away snorting, smoke drifting from his nostrils. "Jeez, do they use enough perfume on these things?! It's faint, but I definitely got his smell. We can just use that to find him." He sniffed the room and turned back to the door. "We should go back-"

There were three rapid knocks at the door.

Arthur stiffened in fear when he heard the three knocks.

'_Someone is coming!'_ Arthur thought fearfully. He looked around for possible hiding spots and decided under the bed to be the best place. Tugging on Alfred's arm, Arthur quietly and hurriedly pulled him to the hiding spot; knowing it was large enough for both of them to fit.

Alfred rushed to hide, immediately following Arthur to the spot he'd chosen, crouching low. He started to panic when he didn't hear Mattie come in and hide as well.

"What is he doing?!" Alfred hissed to Arthur. "He's not hiding!" He paled when he heard the sure sounds of scuffling, his brother's panicked breaths and protests as he was grabbed by who he could only assume were the guards. "Shit! Arthur they got him! Th-they got Mattie!"

'_Oh god! Oh god!'_ Arthur started to panic. His grip on Alfred became hard as he desperately tried to think. '_What do we do. I can't let Alfred's brother get killed for this.'_

Arthur was just about ready to jump out of his hiding spot and find a way to help the poor dragon when a familiar voice made him freeze.

"Matthieu?" Arthur heard Francis speak.

* * *

Matthew was panicking as he was gripped roughly by two guards, they there throwing demands and questions at him. He couldn't even get a word in, not that he could try. His throat was too tight with fear.

He'd screwed up horribly. So much for being reliable like he'd planned. He was about to give up hope of getting free when he heard a familiar voice that jolted him back to reality.

"Matthieu?"

"F-Francis?"

Well, perfect. The man who hated dragons and knew he was one.

"Francis? Do you know this man?" One of the guards questioned Francis. They loosened their grip but only slightly.

Francis stood there a moment in complete shock of the scene before him. The dragon he had just met yesterday was inside the castle?

The knight immediately began to wonder what the dragon was doing here. Did he plan on endanger everyone in this castle.

Francis found his voice and started to speak,"Um, yes I know this…" Francis trailed off when his eyes met Matthews panicked violet ones.

Matthew's panic didn't seem to ease much at all. Francis was admitting to know he was what? A dragon. He was relieved the guards had loosened their grip, if at least a little bit.

Not that he could run away. There was a full-fledged knight in front of him. He could easily be taken down in this form.

He could feel tears well up in his eyes. Well, this was it, he was sure. Francis would turn him in. He'd be murdered for being a dragon, and probably for an assumption that he was there to kill the king.

Yea, he was screwed.

"I didn't catch that Francis… this what?" The other guard inquired.

"This… this…" Francis started to stutter. The Knight just couldn't find the words to turn the dragon in. Those violet eyes now full of tears began to tug on his heart strings.

Francis closed his eyes tightly to regain his composure before addressing the guards again. "Please forgive me monsieurs. It has been a long day for me. I meant to say 'yes'. Yes I know this servant. He just started recently…" Francis lied smoothly. He turned his attention to Matthew. "Has no one informed you that the King is no longer taking residence in his chambers and that your service here is not needed for the time being?" Francis pretended to question the dragon.

Matthew's gaze shot back up to meet the knight's. He wasn't turning him in?! Even though he knew he was a dragon? Wait. No time to be shocked.

"I-I didn't know," Matthew lied, playing along. "I was attending my normal duties and no one warned me that his living arrangements had been changed recently! I was confused when I got here and no one was around." He ducked his head. "I'm very sorry to trouble you!"

Okay, that part was true.

"You see, this was all just a misunderstanding." Francis smiled widely at the guards. They finally let go of Matthew but they didn't move on. There was a look on confusion on their face, so Francis sauntered up to throw a friendly arm around Matthew. "I'll escort this young man back to the servants quarters. Why don't you two go back to your posts?… I'm sure Vash wouldn't be happy if he found you two slacking on your duties."

The two guards' eyes widened at that last comment and they wasted no time to rush down the hallway, around the corner, and out of sight.

As soon as the guards were gone, the tears that the dragon had been holding back fell. "W-why did you help me? I'm a dragon! I thought you hated me!" He cried, swiping at his eyes to try and get rid of the tears that wouldn't stop flowing. "You said we're terrible creatures! Why would you save one?"

Francis quickly retracted his arm in shock. He didn't expect the dragon to start crying. It was unexpected and, for a moment, the blue-eyed Knight didn't know what to do. He settled for patting the others head, hoping it would comfort the dragon.

"I-I'm not sure why I just did that." Francis finally spoke. "I guess I've just been thinking a lot since we last met and… and although I still feel a bit confused… I guess I want to try to know you Dragons more before I judge you."

Matthew looked up at Francis, expression clearly showing his bewilderment. He wanted to get to know dragons better? He didn't seem to mind patting him on the head.

An ecstatic smile grew on Matthew's face, violet eyes shining, and he jumped up to throw his arms around Francis in a hug. He couldn't even get words out to express how happy it made him to hear that.

At least until a certain sibling cut in.

"Matthew! Get away from him!"

He blinked and turned his head to look at a furious Alfred. The blue dragon was scowling and had his fists clenched as he stomped over to wrench his brother away from the knight.

Matthew was forced behind his elder sibling and wasn't sure what to do when he went off at Francis.

"Don't you dare touch my baby brother!" Alfred snarled, bristling like an angry cat. "Bastards like you don't have the right to have anything to do with him! I should rip your throat out for what you did!"

Matthew stepped between Alfred and Francis, arms held out protectively. "Stop it Al!" He protested fearfully. "He just saved me from those guards! He's okay! He...he told me he wants to learn more about us, our kind!" He lowered his arms and fidgeted in his spot. "He's not a bad person...I can tell."

Francis stood his ground and smiled slyly at the furious dragon. "Ah… Alfred I presume? You look a lot better when you're not bound in chains." Francis mentally slapped himself. He didn't mean to taunt Alfred… or did he? He figured he still felt a little bitter towards the blue eyed dragon.

Alfred growled lowly at the chain comment, blue eyes flashing dangerously. Arthur had latched onto Alfred's arm, prepared to hold the angry dragon back from doing something irrational. And it was only the fact that Arthur was holding Alfred back that kept him from ripping this guy's head off.

"Leave Alfred alone you **frog**. Now tell us why you helped Matthew." Arthur spat angrily at the knight.

Francis broke eye contact with Alfred to talk to Arthur. "I just told Mathieu that I wanted to at least try to understand the dragons. He is very kind and not what I expected. He isn't at all like your hot tempered boyfriend."

Matthew was perplexed by the change in Francis' change in behavior and looked at him with hurt. Alfred was his brother. He didn't want his brother to be insulted. "D-don't talk to my brother that way!" He snapped, turning around to face Francis again, slapping him sharply across the face. "He might be a little hot-headed sometimes but he doesn't go around insulting people like that! You might have just saved me b-but I'm **not**going to let you insult my family that way!"

Alfred stared at Matthew, surprised and touched. "Mattie..."

Arthur and Francis stared at Matthew I shock. Neither had expected that.

Francis brought a hand to his cheek, which was tingling in pain. He then averted his eyes to the floor looking rather embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Matthieu. I did not mean to offend you." Francis muttered apologetically. He took a deep breath then looked at Alfred. The look on his face was apprehensive. "I would also like to apologize to you, Alfred. I don't expect you to forgive me after what I've done… and I'm still trying to get my bitterness towards you for taking my friend away."

Matthew pursed his lips and glared at Alfred, letting him know that if he went out of line, he'd be getting a slap next.

"Er...apology accepted...I guess," Alfred replied rather bitterly, not wanting to get hit by the violet dragon. "I still don't trust you at all though. Don't expect me to anytime soon. You did awful things. Like what you did to Arthur. I definitely can't forgive you for that!" He crossed his arms and turned his head away.

Matthew sighed, knowing that was the best he was gonna get. He faced Francis again very seriously. "I'll accept your apology but you have to promise you won't do it again, okay?"

"Qui, I will try my best to act more civilized." Francis answered gratefully; ecstatic that he was getting another chance. And just like that his relaxed and suave attitude returned.

Arthur just rolled his eyes. He still felt angry with Francis but they couldn't stay talking in the corridor forever. Someone else was bound to come by and things wouldn't go well if they discovered The ex-knight back in the castle.

"We need to start moving again before someone else comes." Arthur spoke up. "Francis, maybe you can help us. We need to talk to the King. Can you tell us where he is?"

"Non, I cannot." Francis answered. "Only the King's Personal Guards know where he is at. The Knights were just told to double up on security to ensure the King's safety."

"Forget him. He's not of any use to us, so let's go," Alfred snapped, not liking being around Francis. He was still too suspicious of his intentions. To him, there was no way he could've just sided with them so easily. He didnt have that kind of personality. "I've already got his scent, so let's go!"

"Don't be rude, Al!" Matthew warned, holding his hand up again. The gesture was more than enough to silence the blonde and he quieted down. It didn't stop his angry looks, of course.

"I should warn you that the Guards are already one step ahead of you." Francis said in a matter-of-fact way. "In case any Dragons decided to sniff around the castle, Vash ordered that a false trail be made. We all thought the order was ridiculous at the time, but now I see how effective it can be."

Alfred flushed an indignant and embarrassed red, scowling angrily at the arrogant knight. Oh how he was really **hating** this man. "Th-this doesn't involve you! It's not like you know where he is! You said so yourself!"

"But that doesn't mean I can't help you." Francis said exasperatedly.

"And how can you help us if you don't even know where he is?" Arthur snapped. His patience was wearing thin. Why could Francis never just get to the point.

"There are two trails and two dragons aren't there?" Francis stated. "We have each one follow a different trail, but of course each will need a Knight to accompany them. They don't know the layout or the the post schedule as well as we do."

"You're not suggesting I leave Mattie with you, are you?!" Alfred hissed. "I don't trust you at all! Why would I leave him in **your **care! The last time you had a dragon in your hold, you nearly got it **killed**! I'm not letting my brother step into that kind of risk!"

"Al," Matthew cut in exasperatedly. "It's okay. I can handle myself with him. He's promised to behave, hasn't he? If I need your help, you know you can hear me from far away. I'll call for you. Besides, I know you don't want to have Arthur out of your sight."

Alfred opened and closed his mouth, trying to come up with some kind of protest, but couldn't find one. Finally, he gave in. "Fine! But any sign of trouble with him and you let me know! I'll rip his head off!" He glared at Francis. "**Literally!**"

Francis wanted to scoff and comment about how he could easily take on the dragon, but he held his tongue.

"I assure you that I won't let any harm come to Mathieu." Francis answered.

Arthur had mixed feelings about leaving Matthew with Francis. Yes, he was still angry with him but he knew that Francis meant what he said about helping them. He trusted that Francis with Matthew's safety but at the same time… he _didn't_ trust Francis with Matthew. The Dragon was too innocent to be left alone with someone as flirtatious as Francis. But sadly, they didn't have much of a choice. They needed his help.

"Take care of Matthew." Arthur ordered before walking towards Francis and lowering his voice before whispering, "_And don't you dare try any of your… your tricks on him_!"

"Tricks?" Francis inquired innocently.

"_You know what I mean you frog_." Arthur hissed before turning his back on the other knight and walking back to Alfred.

Alfred went with Arthur, still grumbling angrily to himself about how pompous the moronic knight was and how he could learn a thing or two from Arthur.

Matthew sighed a bit with relief as they left and smiled weakly at the knight. "My brother is a bit overprotective if you couldn't tell. Sorry about that." He looked around nervously, a bit anxious to be alone. "But, um... I-I guess you should lead the way, right? I'm not quite sure where we should look."

Francis shared Matthews relief when the others had left. He wanted to make a good impression on the dragon and he couldn't do that while trying to watch what he said around Alfred.

"Actually, you will have to be the one to lead the way." Francis replied. "You will need to get the King's scent and we'll find the other trail to follow. You won't really have to hide as long as you're with me. I'm not wanted and I can easily tell anyone we happen to run into that I am escorting you back to your room."

"R-right. I suppose that's true..." Matthew stammered. He didn't like the thought of having to lead the way, but if he had to, he had to. "I guess I should get the scent then." He went into the King's room and started sniffing around like Alfred had done before quickly coming back outside, face red with embarrassment.

It might not have bothered Alfred to have used his sense of smell to track someone like, well, like a dog, but it was weird to him.

Wordlessly, he gave a small nod to Francis and started walking in the opposite direction that the other pair had taken.

Francis followed Matthew closely. He wasn't afraid of being caught, but he did feel a bit anxious around Matthew. Even though the others were gone he would still have to choose his words carefully, especially after Arthur's warning.

Francis knew exactly what Arthur meant when he was referring to "tricks". Arthur was referring to Francis' favorite way to flirt, which was trying to slip innuendoes into a conversation. He once tried using one on Arthur and the Knight was so repulsed, he ended up turning Francis into a horrid shade of pink! (The memory still made Francis shiver in fear.) The blue-eyed knight was more afraid of Arthur than he was of Alfred, so he would have to be subtle with Matthew.

"It's a lovely night tonight, wouldn't you think so?" Francis tried to start conversing lightly with the dragon.

Matthew looked back at Francis, smiling a bit. "I-I guess it is, I think it would be b-better if we weren't in the middle of something dangerous though..." He flushed with embarrassment over his stuttering. He was more than a bit anxious. "I just want this to be over so I can go home..."

"It is unfortunate that you had to be involved in this." Francis said solemnly. He felt sorry for this dragon. He wondered how Matthew had gotten involved in the first place. "But I'm sure this will all be over soon. And perhaps when this is all over, we can spend more lovely nights like this _together_, minus the danger of course." Francis tried speaking comfortingly, flirtatiously, and smoothly at the same time, hoping to get a positive reaction.

"I chose to be involved..." Matthew said, brows furrowing. "I-I didn't want to watch Arthur and Al do something so dangerous and be of no help. I can't do that..." The second comment had him confused. He glanced back at Francis. "Wouldn't you be too busy working as a knight for you to spend time with me? A-and I don't think that all the other knights would want s-someone like me around here..."

Francis couldn't help but chuckle. He found it endearing that Matthew would want to assist the two lovers on their mission to change the status quo between humans and dragons. He also thought that it was simply adorable that Matthew didn't get Francis was trying to flirt… maybe he needed to step it up a notch.

"You are very noble to help your brother and Arthur in their time of need. Qualities like that are what we look for in knights, but some may have forgotten about that." Francis replied. He knew that even he himself had forgotten about what it takes. But being next to this dragon was starting to remind him of what he had long forgotten… "But anyways, you don't have to worry about what the other Knights think. I wouldn't want to share you with them anyways. We wouldn't need them to enjoy ourselves, now would we?"

Matthew blushed at the compliments. "I-I don't think I am...I just wanted to be helpful... Wait, what do you mean by share me?" Everything Francis was saying was now confusing him. "I-I don't understand what you're saying."

'_No wonder Arthur didn't want me flirting with Matthew.'_ Francis mused. '_He is so innocent he doesn't even realize I'm hitting on him_.'

"Mathieu, when I say I don't want to share I mean that I want you all to myself." Francis explained with a playful smile.

"Want me for...yourself?" Matthew echoed, not sure what to think if the statement. He wanted to keep him? Is that what Francis meant? For what? A pet? A pet dragon? What? "W-why?"

Francis shook his head, the look on his face was one of bewilderment and amusement. By now, the person he was usually flirting with would already have been swept away. But Matthew wasn't like any of those other people. And Francis liked that.

"Mathieu, can't you tell when someone is trying to flirt with you?" Francis chuckled.

Matthew's face immediately colored a deeper red than a cherry. "_F-flirt_?!" He squeaked. "Wh-why are y-you flirting w-with **me**?" Great, the stutter was back and full-blown. He started to grip the hem of his shirt tightly and he nearly stumbled over his own feet. "I-I don't think **I** should be flirted with!" He spoke quickly, heart pounding. "I-I'm not a woman and I'm not good looking a-and I'm not very useful..."

Francis' eyes widened. He didn't mean to make the dragon to react like this. He felt sorry for making the smaller blond fret like this. But then again… he also thought the reaction was kind of cute.

"Please don't say that you aren't good looking." Francis began to pat Matthew's head, trying to calm him down. "When one person flirts with another, it usually means that they find them attractive. (Like how I find you attractive.) Don't doubt yourself or your 'usefulness'. You are very pleasant and good hearted and anyone would love to be in your presence.

As for not being a woman…" Francis continued. "Well, I think it's silly to let something as trivial as gender to get in the way of love. Wouldn't you agree?"

The reassuring compliments were really making his heart race now. "Y-you find me attractive?" The dragon asked shyly, looking up at Francis doubtfully. If his face got any darker a shade of red, you'd think he was about to explode.

Francis let his playful gaze soften to give Matthew a gentler look. Although he knew it was cheesey, the knight truly meant it when he replied, "Darling, it would be sinful to think otherwise."

"O-oh? I-I didn't think anyone...would think like that...about me," Matthew mumbled, shifting from foot to foot, very much embarrassed.

"You doubt yourself too much, Mathieu." Francis said softly. He raised a hand to take hold of a strand of hair that had fallen in Matthew's face and secured it behind the dragon's ear. "Anyone with eyes can see how beautiful you are."

He was sure his heart was going to just shoot out of his chest now. It was just a small gesture but it meant a lot to him. "Th-thank you," he managed to just barely say, almost inaudible.

The look on Matthew's face was too irresistible to Francis. Those flushed cheeks, the sparkle in his eyes, that gentle voice.… It was just too much for the Knight.

Slowly, Francis began to lean in. Curiosity pulled him closer to the dragon. He wanted to find out what Matthew's enticing lips tasted like.

Matthew suddenly swerved his face away from Francis', not realizing what the knight had intended to do and gasped. "I caught the scent again! It's that way!" He exclaimed, trotting off in the direction of the scent trail.

To say that Francis was disappointed would have been an understatement. The Knight groaned as he watched the dragon walk further and further away from him.

'_Damn it._' Francis thought to himself. '_I was soo close!_'

"It's stronger over here," Matthew called to Francis, gesturing for the knight to hurry up. "I think he might actually be over near here!" He continued to trot ahead before accidentally slamming into someone. He fell to the ground with a thump and then looked up ready to apologize to whoever it was before realizing it was another knight. "E-eep..."

"Th's hallway 's off l'mits." The Knight spoke in a low intimidating voice. The guard that Matthew ran into, glared down at the dragon. Although it was never possible to tell if the glare was intentional or not.

"Berwald? Is someone over there?" A softer voice further down the hall called as he made his way over.

Matthew didn't reply, too intimidated by the frightening glare. He trembled where he was, not even able to stand. "I-I'm sorry?" He squeaked, trying to scoot away. He looked back at Francis for help. 'What do I do?' His gaze seemed to say.

Francis (who had stayed back a few moments to sulk) joined Matthew's side once again and immediately tried to help the frightened dragon.

"Berwald! Tino! Just the men I wanted to see. My friend Mathieu and I are here to relieve you from your post." Francis spoke happily to the Knights.

"Matthew?" Tino questioned. He turned to the dragon. "I'm sorry but I don't think we've met before."

"He d'sn't look like a kn'ght." Berwald added.

"Well, he isn't actually a knight." Francis answered.

Matthew stared at Francis bewildered. _Why was he telling them he wasn't a knight?_ What made Francis possibly think that the two knights were going to let Matthew stay with him saying things like that?!

"He's not a knight?" Tino asked looking very confused. He rested a hand on the handle of his sword, as if mentally preparing himself to take action in case he needed to escort Matthew out of the castle.

"Non, he is a new servant here in the castle." Francis lied. "I no longer have Arthur to help me during my shifts and this young man says he was interested in learning how to be a knight. So I decided to let him accompany me during my shifts to show him what we do."

"S'nce when h've you st'rted hangin' around with the s'rvants?" Berwald asked suspiciously, although his expression didn't change.

Francis wanted to huff in frustration but refrained from doing so. These two were being bit **too** thorough in their questioning. He needed to get them to leave.

"I don't usually hang out with the servants, but I ran into Mathieu not to long ago and it turned into a very serendipitous moment." Francis answered throwing his arm over Matthew's shoulder. "We just really hit it off didn't we?" He addressed the question to Matthew.

_If flirting meant hitting it off..._

"Uh, y-yeah. I saw him while I was working a-and I had asked if he could tell me how to become a knight..." Matthew jumped in, trying to make up a sensible story. "I-I've always wanted to be one but never knew how."

"O…kay?" Tino replied. He still looked a little confused but he must have been satisfied with the answer because he removed his hand from his sword handle.

"H' still can't be h're." Berwald muttered.

"I wouldn't have brought him along with me if I didn't get permission first." Francis replied coolly. "I already brought it up with Vash and he gave me the ok."

"Vash said it was ok?!" Tino's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"He was a bit hesitant at first, but he agreed once he realized more knights in training meant more security in the castle." Francis answered.

"Oh, well that's ok then." Tino said in relief. "Are you sure you two won't need any help though?"

He was relieved that Francis had been able to come up with such a convincing lie. He didn't know who Vash was, but apparently his name held a lot of power over everyone else. It was a good idea apparently.

"We'll be okay," Matthew replied to Tino's question reassuringly. "I'm not as weak as I seem. I, uh, grew up in the countryside, so I can handle myself okay." He looked at Fracis. "And Francis can surely handle anything right?" He smiled back at Tino again. "I'm a quick learner so there won't be any problems!"

"Alright then." Tino replied happily. "Berwald and I are gonna turn in then. Thanks for taking over our shift. And it was nice meeting you Matthew."

"You two have a nice night." Francis waved as the two Knights began to walk off.

Berwald gave them a nod before walking away with Tino.

Matthew gave a small wave as the other two left before sighing with relief. "Are you always such a good liar?" He asked quietly, voice tinged with a bit of a teasing tone. "Or should I be worried?"

Francis missed that Matthew was teasing him, and for the first time that night, he lost his cool. "What? N-no! You don't have to be worried. I wouldn't lie to you." He stuttered. The knight became concerned that he was going to offend Matthew in some way.

Matthew stared at Francis with surprise at the sudden outburst before he started giggling with amusement. Apparently, the knight hadn't understood his teasing tone. "I'm teasing, Francis. Just teasing." He laughed softly before smiling warmly at the blonde. "You don't have to worry."

Francis blushed. He felt embarrassed for his mistake, yet at the same he also felt his heart flutter at Matthew's chiming laugh.

"Heh." Francis grinned regaining his coolness. "Mathieu, I didn't realize you were such a _tease_."

The blush being on Francis' face was quite different from his own. The dragon couldn't help but feel it was cute in a way. He laughed again at being called a tease, though his cheeks still colored. "**I'm** the tease here?" He paused to look back at the deep blue eyes of the knight with amusement. "I thought that was you."

His smile faded a bit when he remembered why they were there. "I-I guess we should check that room, huh?"

"Right…" Francis turned away and grimaced. He was getting annoyed. Just when he and Matthew were about to have a moment, something interrupted them.

Francis sauntered up to the door Matthew was referring to. He wasn't as talented with spells as Arthur was, so it took him a bit longer than it should have to disarm all of the Containment Charms placed on the door.

Once it was open, Francis turned to Matthew and asked, "Are you ready to see if we've found the King?"

Matthew nodded nervously, moving closer to Francis. He wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he couldn't defend himself if he had to, but he really didn't want to turn into a dragon and ruin any chances of negotiation. "I-I'm ready..."

When the doors were slowly pushed open, Matthew gasped, recognizing their target.

"Al, we've found him!"

* * *

Arthur followed behind Alfred as they continued their search for the King. It had taken him a while to settle down the dragon (who had been ranting on about his distrust of Francis) and now they were on the move again. Following the King's scent.

"It's quieter than usually is in this wing of the castle." Arthur noted.

"Yeah, and it's making me anxious," Alfred groaned before he stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened. "The scent is thickest in this room right here!" He exclaimed softly, pointing at a door next to him. He padded over to the door and pushed it open, revealing a large room. He couldn't tell what it was used for but the scent he'd picked up was strong here.

He stepped in further, looking around the room, wondering why it was so empty and quiet there...

Arthur followed Alfred into the empty room. And frowned. "The King's not here." He muttered disappointedly. "We must have followed the false trail. Let's start heading ba-**_ack!_**"

Arthur let out a cry of pain when his arm was twisted behind his back. He felt himself being pulled into someone's armored chest. A cool sharp metal object was pressed against his neck.

"Kirkland?!" A harsh voice questioned. "And who are you?!"

"V-Vash?" Arthur asked but then silenced himself when the grip holding him tightened.

Alfred was horrified to find his Arthur in the hold of the knight who'd, along with Francis, condemned him to death. He growled low in his throat, stance becoming a more threatening one as he eyed the threat. "Let Arthur go!" He snarled, baring fangs. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

"**He** is a fugitive and a threat to our Kingdom's safety!" Vash barked. The blade he held against Arthur's neck seemed to gleam dangerously as he spoke. "He should be killed for his conspiring with the dragons and **you** should be put on trail for assisting him."

"You already condemned me to death once, I don't need you to do it again," Alfred hissed. He started murmuring words under his breath, the words turning out to be a spell.

As much as he hated to use one, a destructive spell was all he felt he could use. The blade in Vash's grip shattered, pieces flying everywhere.

Within those short moments, the dragon launched himself at he knight, grabbing his metal-covered arms so he could wrench them away from Arthur, freeing the man.

He allowed Arthur to move away before letting his draconian features show. Horns sprouted from his head, wings and a tail also revealing themselves. His eyes became serpentine, though they retained their blue color. "You're not allowed to touch Arthur. He's **_mine_**."

"Y-you're the dragon?!" Vash exclaimed. His glare hardened but fear flashed across his eyes. And his weren't the only ones.

Arthur stood wide-eyed at the scene before him. Never before had he seen the dragon like this. Alfred looked terrifying. His reptilian features mixed with his human ones made him look like a fierce beast. Arthur was concerned that Alfred was going to rip Vash into shreds!

Alfred smiled darkly at Vash's exclamation. "I **surely** thought you'd recognize my eyes!" He tightened his old on the knight's arms, cracking the armor.

"Alfred?" Trembled Arthur quietly.

Alfred froze, hearing Arthur's frightened call.

He turned to look at his lover, eyes losing their ferocity to be replaced with concern. He immediately let go of his enemy, choosing to rush to Arthur, arms pulling around him to keep him protectively close. "Artie, are you okay? I was scared he'd hurt you."

Arthur's fear evaporated at Alfred's concern. He leaned into the dragons gentle embrace and mentally chastised himself. What was he thinking being afraid of Alfred? Alfred wasn't a beast, he was Alfred. His kind, lovable, endearing dragon.

"I'm fine." Arthur breathed in relief. "He didn't hurt me." Arthur enjoyed Alfred's warmth for a moment more, before the sound of metal alerted them to who was still in the room.

Arthur yanked Alfred to the side just as Vash had swung a sword down to where they had just been standing.

"I will **not** let you two escape this time!" Vash bellowed. "You will both pay for your crimes against the Kingdom of Hetalia!"

"What crimes?" Alfred shouted back angrily. "Is it a crime to help someone different from you? To save their life and befriend them? Love them? So we're a little...or even a **lot **different. It doesn't mean we have to go and start killing each other!" His tail flicked back and forth as he watched the knight for every little movement before his eyes lit up with an idea. Arthur obviously didn't want him to hurt someone he knew, so why not **limit** what he could do to stop them?

"Artie, listen to me okay? I'm only gonna say this once. I'm gonna make a smokescreen. We're going to go in through it while he's trying to find us and make our escape." The dragon whispered to Arthur, making sure Vash didn't hear.

Arthur discretely gave Alfred a nod to let him know he was good with the plan.

"Befriend monsters like you?!" Vash laughed at Alfred. "We hunt you creatures for the good of Hetalia. And I want to keep that tradition." Just then, Vash began to charge at them again, preparing to strike.

Alfred let a bout of flame build up inside, but extinguished it, causing a thick smoke to remain instead. As Vash charged at them, he released the dark smoke, clouding all of their visions.

"I wonder if the dragons are the real monsters here. We do not hunt you for sport." Alfred called out to Vash before grabbing Arthur to drag him out of the room. He made sure the door was shut and barred it from opening in case the knight figured out they'd left.

He sighed and let the dragon features disappear. He squeezed Arthur's hand apologetically before his eyes widened. "They found him! Mattie found where the king is at!" He hissed, shocked. "Come on, Artie, let's go!" He grabbed the blonde's hand and took off at a run, following the directions his brother gave him.

Arthur ran alongside Alfred as they headed towards the King's actual lodgings. He couldn't help but let a small smile grace his lips. Alfred had every right to kill Vash, but he didn't. He found a way for them to escape without hurting the King's crazy Head Guard.

Arthur hoped they would be able to convince the King to meet the Elders, because he was madly in love with this blue eyed dragon and he couldn't bear the thought of being forced apart from him.

* * *

"I feel like a stalker just standing here while the King sleeps." Francis whispered to Matthew.

Matthew chuckled softly, though he definitely shared the same sentiment. It was definitely weird knowing that they were standing in a room with a man sleeping the night away not knowing he had strangers in his room (okay Francis wasn't so much a stranger but that wasn't the point).

"I can't help but agree with you. I hope they get here soon, otherwise this'll just keep getting weirder." He whispered back. "Um, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, mon cher." Francis whispered adoringly. "Ask me anything."

"What made you change your mind...? About dragons, I mean." Matthew asked, expression showing that his timidness was returning. "You kept saying how we're horrible creatures and then after I showed you my true form you just looked so... I don't know,_disgusted_ almost." He paused and wrapped his arms around himself slightly. "And then I come back and you save me from a bunch of guards that you should've just turned me in to.

I just, I don't understand...and then you started," he blushed, "flirting with me. I know you said you wanted to learn more about us, my kind, but why change your mind so quickly?"

Francis' expression softened at the dragon's question.

"Isn't it obvious? I changed my views because of you." He replied quietly. "I was at a very low point after the incident at the arena, but you came along and changed that. I really enjoyed my time with you the day we met. You are so different from anyone I've ever met and you brought out some emotions in me that I hadn't felt in so long.

I admit I was very angry when I found out what you were… but at the same time I was confused." Francis paused. "You were different than what I thought a dragon would be like. You're kind and timid and respectful… You made me wonder if all dragons were as bad as I thought they were.

I tried to forget about you and tried to convince myself that you are all still terrible creatures, but then I saw you again tonight; and I remembered how much I enjoyed your company… I remembered how much I enjoyed being with you. So I couldn't let you be caught.

I am still angry at dragons for what they did to my home and my family… but I cannot be angry with you. I know that you will not want to be with me if I continue to live with this anger so I want to change. I want to leave my hatred and anger behind so that I may understand you better. You _and_ your people."

Matthew smile grew wide and he had to restrain himself from squeeing with joy. So Arthur had been right about Francis being able to change his perception on dragons, and he was more than elated that he was the reason why.

They had another ally and the violet dragon felt like a child who'd done the best thing in the world.

Francis felt his heart flutter when he saw the pleased look on Matthew's face. The dragon was obviously elated with what the knight told him. Francis himself felt elated that he was able to put that smile on the young dragons face.

Feeling that the mood was right once again, Francis couldn't help himself from leaning closer to Matthew.

But of course the universe was cruel to Francis, because right then the door swung open with a loud bang. The noise caused the sleeping man to bolt up in bed.

"W-what who's… Bonnefoy?! What the hell are you doing in my room?! And who are all these people?!… I-is that Kirkland?!"

Figuring that it was pointless being quiet now, Alfred pounced on his brother, pulling him away from Francis. "Aw, Mattie! Dude! You wouldn't believe what a hard time we had getting over here! There was this guy and he was just **awful** and I had to make a smokescreen and everything!"

Matthew nodded uncertainly as Alfred babbled, not quite sure what he was talking about, but the king was **awake** now since he'd swung the door open so loudly. "O-ok? Can we focus please? You woke the king up..."

Alfred glanced at the horrified man in bed and grimaced. "Oops."

Francis had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from yelling at Alfred. Not only had the obnoxious dragon woken up the King, he had also interrupted his moment with Matthew.

"King Roderich!" Arthur did a quick bow before approaching the King. "I apologize for coming in unannounced, but there is an urgent matter we must discuss with you."

"Bonnefoy." The King ignored Arthur and turned to address the other Knight. "Where are my guards? And why are you allowing this man to be in my presence? Weren't you the one to turn him in in the first place?" The King was looking very annoyed at the moment.

"Please your majesty." Francis also bowed before approaching the King. "There has been a terrible misunderstanding. Arthur has not done anything wrong."

"U-um, if I may..." Matthew jumped in shyly. "M-my name is Matthew. We really do have an urgent matter to discuss. I'm sorry we kind of just made our way in without going through proper measures, but our circumstances didn't exactly allow for that." He shoved his brother away when he started to speak up, glaring at him to keep the dragon silent. "Would you please listen to us?"

The was quiet for a few moments. The King stared at Matthew with a scrutinizing gaze as if letting everyone's words sink in. (Arthur held his breath waiting for a reply.) Finally, the King turned to face Alfred.

"You there." The King pointed to Alfred. "Would you please be so kind enough to hand me a robe from that cabinet you are standing by?… If we are going to continue talking I would like to be somewhat decent."

Alfred grimaced, not exactly liking that he was being ordered around, but at the same time he was relieved the man was going to actually listen. He went and fetched the robe before handing it over the the King, trying not to seem rude. He wasn't the most polite person, obviously, but he would try.

The King rose from his bed and put on the robe Alfred handed him. "Now…" the King spoke snippily as he tied his robe closed. "Someone explain to me, what exactly is going on?"

"King Roderich." Arthur spoke first. "We have come to speak with you about the dragons."

"The dragons that you were conversing with?" The King rose an eyebrow. "You realize that it is a crime to teach one of those creatures how to brew our potions. It is why you were put on trial."

"Hey, it's not like he was teaching me to curse people or anything!" Alfred cut in, looking angry. "I wanted to learn how to heal others. All we dragons have ever known to do was make spells that hurt others, that destroy. I saved Arthur and asked him to teach me. Is it bad to teach others how to heal?"

He paused before continuing. "Not all dragons hate humans. I've never hated them. Arthur was fearful of me at first but then we learned to get along." He moved closer to Arthur and grabbed his hand, squeezing it softy. "And now we love each other." He glanced at the King. "I know you think that our two species could ever get along, but aren't me and Artie a sign that something is different?"

The King scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Kirkland, he is aware of the reason why our people kill dragons, isn't he?"

"Yes." Arthur answered. He remembered how fearful he was the day he told Alfred about his family and the cruel tradition they started. "I have told him everything about the Kingdom's views on dragons."

"You know that Arthur's family is the reason why we have started hunting dragons?" The King questioned Alfred. "Yet you are still willing to stay by his side?"

"I know that. He made a point to tell to me when I wanted to learn the healing potion. It kinda requires our scales, ya know. But it didn't change my opinion on him. It's not like **he** started it. And even if he had, he's learned from his experience. I can't ask for more than that." He hugged Arthur close. "Even Mattie has changed his opinion. He used to hate humans."

Matthew flushed red at being called out, looking away sheepishly.

"You two might have changed your views, but I have to think of my people." King Roderich replied. "Many of the people have a strong dislike of dragons. Most of the citizens even_fear_ you creatures. I can't just allow you to come into our Kingdom and cause a panic amongst the people."

"But people can change, your Majesty." Francis spoke up. "I myself was angry when I discovered what Arthur was doing, but the dragons aren't what I thought they were. To continue hunting them and hating them is simply too cruel on our part."

The King's eyes widened slightly at Francis words. It alarmed him to be told that what they have been doing for so long was actually a cruel act. He quickly recovered and glanced at the two dragons before saying, "You may be right about that… but what do you expect me to do? If I order Knights to stop slaying dragons, there are still others out there who burn down our homes. We can't let the dragons do that."

"That's why we've come here sire." Arthur spoke again. "We've already talked to the Elders (leaders of the dragons that is) about changing the ways between our people. They may consider peace but only if you talk to them."

"They want to talk about peace? Fine." Roderich answered. "So where are they? Why aren't they here?"

"They're leery of being attacked by humans", Matthew answered softly. "We realize you want our scales, but you don't realize that you don't have to hunt us for them. We shed them regularly for new ones."

"They've only attacked humans out of a fear of being hunted. Green dragons are nearly extinct now," Alfred joined in. "We don't need to be hunted if all you need is scales. We want to propose a trade of sorts. If we give you our shed scales, won't your need to hunt us stop? If you stop hunting us, dragons stop attacking humans."

"We have a lot we can teach each other. We've already learned that. I think everyone else can too." Matthew agreed. "Not just humans, but every other dragon. If you come with us peacefully with no intentions of attacking, then me and Al will guard you. No one else can or will attack you. Our Elders always remain by their words."

The King remained silent. He turned his back to the others with pursed lips, meaning he was in deep thought.

A quick stab of panic shot through Arthur's heart. The King wasn't going to refuse was he? He couldn't possibly say no to them…_could he? _

"Alright." The king finally answered. He turned back to face the others. "I'll speak with the Elders and see if something can be arranged."

Matthew and Alfred grinned excitedly. This had gone a lot better off than what had happened with the Elders the first time. At least they weren't being attacked for once.

The door burst open again. A wild-eyed Vash covered in soot strode into the room with more guards behind him. It took him less then a second to find his target (Alfred) and tackle him to the ground.

"Your majesty! This man is a Dragon! Run away while we take care of this beast!" Vash cried keeping a firm grip on Alfred.

Matthew felt himself be grabbed by two guards, ones he hadn't remembered seeing earlier.

"Hey, this one, like, isn't struggling or anything." The blonde mused, pouting at Matthew. What was with that manner of speaking? "That's totally boring! Can't you even fight back like a **little**?"

Was he insane or something? Even his partner seemed exasperated.

"F-Feliks, honestly, it's a **good** thing he isn't struggling." The brown-haired male sighed, looking at Matthew apologetically.

Matthew could only resist the urge to roll his eyes as the two started to bicker back and forth.

"Hey! Get this moron off me!" Alfred shouted, thrashing under Vash's hold. "And who are you calling a beast you metal-covered freak!"

"You're the freak you mutated son of a-!"

"Vash get off him." The King ordered sternly.

For the first time that night, Vash's glare disappeared. He loosened his hold slightly as he looked up at the King in confusion. "W-what your Majesty?"

"He said get off of Alfred!" Arthur seethed angrily. He looked about ready to yank Vash off the dragon himself, but he didn't want to fight in front of the King.

"Are you gonna listen or keep that stupid look on your face?" Alfred growled. When the grip loosened he pushed himself up, making his assailant fall back. He stood up, grumbling while rubbing his arms.

"You're, like, just gonna let them go?" Feliks asked the king incredulously, not letting go of Matthew. "They must've totally screwed with your mind."

"B-but aren't they intruders, your highness?" Toris asked hesitantly. "Why let them go?"

"They have my permission to be here." The King answered. "As of now, they are my guests in this castle and I ask that you treat them as such."

After the King spoke, Francis used that as an opportunity to saunter over to the two knights guards holding Matthew. He gave them a glare before taking the dragon's hand. He pulled him out of their grasp and lead him to the side of the room.

"But your Majesty." Vash stood up still looking aghast that his prisoners were being let go. He hatefully pointed a finger at Alfred. "That **_thing_** is a dragon. You can't just let it wander freely in the Castle. It needs to be put down."

"Stop talking about Alfred like he's some sort of wild animal!" Arthur snapped. "He has just about every right to be here as you have."

"He is a monster!"

"Enough!" Roderich thundered causing the two to become silent. "I will not ask you again. Let them be. They are of no threat to us."

Alfred glared at Vash, disliking him as much as the knight did him. Instead of throwing a biting response back at him, Alfred chose to settle his head against Arthur's shoulder, arms draped over his shoulders.

Matthew was relieved to be pulled out of the knights' grasp and settled in place next to Francis. He murmured a silent "thanks", but noticeably didn't move to take his hand out of the blonde's.

Feliks and Toris stayed quiet as they were told, though Feliks started to whine quietly to Toris about how weird everything was, to which the other replied for him to stay quiet.

Once the dragons were free, the King waved his hand at the three newcomers and said, "You are dismissed… and tell the others that Kirkland and his friends are no longer fugitives."

Vash looked perplexed. It was obvious that he wanted something to be done about the intruders, but he could not disobey the King. After a bow (and a glare shot at Alfred) Vash turned and left the room.

Alfred smirked at Vash as he left before turning back to the the rest of the group, his glare settling on Francis again. He bristled silently but didn't make a move to say anything.

"D-do you think you could come with us now, if possible?" Matthew asked Roderich. "We don't have much time at all. We were given until the end of this week to bring you to them..."

"Or else they launch an attack." Alfred finished, expression dark.

"An attack?!" The King exclaimed. Concern was written all over his face.

"It will only happen if you fail to meet with the Elders." Arthur interjected to calm down the King. "They may call it off if you can all come to some sort of agreement."

The King nodded in understanding. "Give me a few moments to ready myself and then we may leave."

The two dragons nodded before Alfred went to leave the room. "Hey Artie, I'm takin' Mattie with me. We're gonna wait outside for you guys in the garden. We're gonna have to fly there if we want to get there quickly, and I'm certainly not transforming here."

Matthew sighed. He had a point. "I suppose we should wait outside."

Arthur nodded as he an Francis followed him out of the room. "Ok, I'll meet you there with the King-"

"And myself." Francis cut in. There was no way he was being excluded after what happened tonight.

Matthew smiled at Francis before trotting out of the room. At least he was more than willing to help them too. He ignored the withering look Alfred threw at the knight and hummed to himself contently.

"I still haven't forgiven you, you know…" Arthur muttered to Francis as they watched the two dragons walk away.

Francis grimaced as his guilt started to resurface. "I understand… but would it be any consolation to know that I really never thought that you would get hurt?"

Arthur glared at Francis, "Yet you fully intended for **Alfred** to get hurt. He could have died because of you."

Francis didn't answer. His expression was solemn.

"I know that you're changing now… but it's still going to take a while for me and Alfred to fully trust you." Arthur mumbled. "Especially with Matthew."

Francis was about to defend himself, but was prevented from doing so when King Roderich came out of his room. He was dressed in his finest clothes with his crown perched elegantly on his head. Silently, the two knights escorted the King to the gardens.

The two dragons were already waiting, transformed to their true forms. Alfred was yawning boredly while Matthew was curled up like a cat, eyes closed.

Alfred grinned at the sight of Arthur, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs. "Ready to go Artie?"

"Did you have a preference on who you ride?" Matthew asked Roderich, raising his head.

"W-wait a moment." Roderich stuttered looking frightened. "You're all not expecting me to fly over there are you?!"

"Well, unless you want to get there next week and come back to find your kingdom sent to hell, **yea**, you gotta ride one of us," Alfred replied snidely, earning a cuff from his brother's tail.

"Oh, shut up Al. He's never ridden before. Even you weren't so fond of riding when you had to." Matthew scolded. He sighed and turned back to the king. "You might want to come with me. My brother doesn't know how to be gentle with new riders."

"And you do?" Alfred shot back, insulted.

"Obviously. I actually carry newborn hatchlings on my back when they need to be taken somewhere." Matthew explained. "You can trust me to be careful."

The King, not having any other options, approached Matthew.

"I'll accompany you, sire." Francis eagerly spoke up and assisted the King as he began climbing clumsily on the dragon's back.

Matthew lowered himself so it was easier, nudging the king up with his snout. "Don't worry about falling. I fly too smoothly to let that happen."

"It's true," Alfred agreed reluctantly. "He's a really good flier. He did teach Artie."

Matthew chuckled softly, waiting for Francis to get on before standing on all fours. "I'm ready when you are, Al."

Alfred nodded and looked down at Arthur, still smiling. "Come on, Artie, let's go."

Arthur quickly climbed onto Alfred's back and ignored the confused looks on the King and Famcis' faces when Arthur learning to fly was mentioned.

"We're all set, Alfred." Arthur proclaimed after looking back to make sure the King and Francis were sitting securely on Matthew.

The two dragons nodded their acknowledgement before flapping their powerful wings, sending them all into the sky.

* * *

**Hooray! We are getting close to a happy ending!… or are we?! (Muahahaha!)**

**But yay for Francis changing sides. n_n (How many of you saw that coming?) And we threw in a side of franada with your usuk.**

**Also, just so you know now, Yamiyo and I will be doing a very minor switch up on what characters we are writing for. By minor I mean just one character, but you will get more information on that next chapter!**

**Thanks again for reading. Please leave us a review to let us know what you think of our story. Reviews are very much appreciated by Yamiyo and moi.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again readers! I was planning on posting this Friday, but then I saw that this story has gotten over 3000 views~! Thank you all soo much for reading this story. As a treat this chapter gets posted a little bit earlier.**

**For this chapter, Yamiyo is taking over Vash's part. So just so we're clear:**

**YamiyoDarknight: Alfred, Matthew, Romulus, Folkert, Vash**

**ItalianCrybaby: Arthur, Francis, Roderich**

**We hope you enjoy this chapter~!**

* * *

It was dark, the rage that consumed him. These beasts were slowly tearing their way into their society, their safe haven. And now he was expected to be okay with it.

Why were these monsters suddenly being treated like human beings? They weren't. Couldn't they see that? Those fire breathing serpents were nothing but devils created to kill men and desecrate their remains. There was nothing _human_ about them. They were beasts.

But now even the king was starting to side with them. He'd been ordered to stop attacking them when they'd broken into their fortress. How was he in the wrong?

Why? Why was it **he** that was wrong?

They didn't get it. They didn't.

So if they weren't going to listen...so he was going to make them see...

* * *

Arthur paced back and forth. Worry was evident on his face as he kept glancing back at the grand entrance leading to the Dragon's meeting place.

"What's taking them so long?" Arthur wondered aloud.

"They've only been in there for 20 minutes." Francis replied from the place he was sitting.

"It could take longer, depending on the negotiations. It's a little unnerving that we're not allowed to be in there with them." Matthew sighed. "I'd hate to have done all this for nothing."

"It'll be fine, dude." Alfred snorted, grabbing Arthur to pull him onto his lap where he sat. "You both need to calm down."

Arthur turned to half-heartedly glare at Alfred. "I have every right to worry. Our future together will be affected by their decision."

Arthur usually paced when he was worried, but he found Alfred's lap to be a comfortable place, so he remained there.

"Yea, but you've already been freaking out enough for all of us here since, like, forever now," Alfred sighed, ruffling Arthur's hair before wrapping his arms around the knight's torso. "I think you need to relax before you make yourself sick."

"Easy enough for you to say," Matthew sighed. There were times where he envied that careless personality of his brother's. "I'm a bit more worried about what Folkert has to say. Romulus is at least more open to things..."

"I'm sure that our rulers will all come to some sort of agreement." Francis said, wrapping an arm around Matthew's shoulders. "In the end they will realize that this is what's best for everyone."

"I can only hope so," Matthew sighed, leaning against Francis. "There's been so many killings and deaths on both sides. It'd be wonderful if it all went away for good."

Francis had some difficulty preventing himself from swooning when Matthew leaned into his touch.

'_Now was not the time for swooning_.' Francis chastised himself. '_This was a serious discussion!_'

"I couldn't agree more with you Matthew." Arthur muttered. He leaned until his back was flush against Alfred's chest. He concentrated on the dragon's beating heart to calm his nerves.

Alfred had to hold back a growl. Why was the knight getting all touchy-feely with his brother when the both of them had warned him not to touch or go near Matthew?! Matthew didn't seem to care but Alfred sure did!

Francis wasn't looking at Alfred, but he could almost swear that he could feel the dragon's glare burning into his back. The phrase "if looks could kill" ran through the knight's head and he wondered for a moment if Alfred could burn a hole through him with just his glare… but that was ridiculous, right?

"Um, Mathieu. This may be an odd question, but do dragons have heat vision?" Francis asked nervously.

Matthew laughed and looked at Francis with amusement. "What kind of ability would that be? Heat vision? Of course not!" He snorted.

* * *

They couldn't see. He had to show them. Even the children were beasts. This one too. This unassuming little monster had the audacity to stare at him with those eyes. Those light teal eyes, so much like her own.

It had peeped at him, the little hatchling. Probably thought he was there to help it back to its mother. _Lies_. It was tricking him. The little beast wanted him dead just as much as he wanted it dead.

He watched coldly as those eyes went from curiosity to fear to hopelessness. He smiled darkly as those demonic lights faded, echoing their question of '_why_?' and wiped the blood off his face.

He carried the body, reddened sword dragging on the ground, trailing its poisonous essence.

This little beast would show them all, _they didn't belong._

* * *

Arthur couldn't shake it. He just had this odd feeling that something was wrong. He tried to ignore it but it kept pestering and _pestering_him, causing him to become anxious. Whatever this feeling was, it was making him squirm uneasily in Alfred's lap.

It seemed to be quiet until a loud, heart-wrenching shriek rang out, sending the two dragons to their feet (Alfred made a quick apology to Arthur for making him fall).

Without any warning, Matthew took off, bolting down the rock-formed hall they were in, ignoring Alfred's cries for him to wait for the rest of them.

Francis quickly ran after Matthew while Arthur got to his feet. He didn't even feel the need to berate Alfred for flinging him to the floor.

"Alfred, what was that?!" Arthur asked stumbling to his feet.

"Something is horribly wrong," Alfred barely managed to get out, skin pale. "For one of us to shriek like that..." He began to tremble slightly before taking off after the other two.

Matthew was the first to stumble outside, the first of the four to let out a horrified, heart-broken wail of despair.

A hatchling. A _hatchling_ was murdered in cold blood.

Romulus and Folkert were frozen in horror and disgust as a knight, Vash, held the slain baby up for them to see. His expression was cold, heartless.

But Matthew, his own became one of rage as he felt his heart pound loudly in his throat, tears stinging and burning hot in his quickly-darkening, violet eyes.

"Y-you killed a child? You killed a baby? Some-someone's baby?" He demanded, voice strained.

And then those soulless green eyes turned to meet with despairing violet. And the knight smiled.

And everything in his vision went red as the dragon launched himself at the knight.

"Mathieu!" Francis exclaimed. He watched in horror as the dragon flung himself at Vash. Matthew's once gentle face had morphed into one of anger and anguish; and Francis didn't know what to do.

Arthur stared unseeing at the dead hatchling. Tears flowed from his eyes as an overwhelming sadness took over him.

Alfred didn't move to stop his brother. He was fearful, angry, saddened. The killing was supposed to have stopped. Why had it happened again now? Why a child?

But Matthew, all he could think was of how he wanted this human to die. He shifted to his large dragon form, his shriek of despair and hatred echoing around the area.

Why had he done it? A child? A **child**! A defenseless hatchling had been dragged into something it shouldn't have been involved in and he couldn't stop it before it happened. Those beautiful teal eyes were devoid of life, not shining with a bright fiery light like they should have been.

He **hated** him. He **hated Vash**. He wanted to tear him apart, make him suffer the way he was sure the hatchling had suffered. Had the human even thought of how it would affect this baby's family? Its future? It was supposed to grow and thrive and live to do great things, not die because of a selfish human's whims. It was another baby, so innocent, just like the ones he'd carried on his back to see the sky for the first time.

His tail whipped to slam against the knight's torso, into the hard ground. He slammed a paw against his chest, surely snapping ribs. He stared enraged at those eyes, tears running down his scaly face to drip to the ground.

How could he be so cold? So _inhuman_?

'_He's going to kill Vash_.' Francis realized as he watched Matthew begin to crush his claws against the fallen man's chest.

In the back of his mind, he knew this was something that the dragon shouldn't do. He knew that Matthew shouldn't bring himself down to Vash's level.

"Mathieu!" Francis called the dragon's name again, trying to grab his attention as he rushed to his side. "Mathieu, you need to stop this right now. Think about what you are doing!"

Matthew's eyes flicked to Francis but were quickly again trained on the knight's uncaring face.

Why would Francis ask that? He knew what he was doing. He had this "_human_" pinned to the ground, ready to rip him limb from limb.

One claw sank deeper into revealed flesh, since the armor had broken in some places, blood pooling out of it. Smoke and embers trailed from the violet dragon's maw, eyes no less angry than before.

"_Please!_ You **must **stop!" Francis begged. He felt his panic rise when he saw the look in Matthew's eyes. They looked almost empty; like the dragon was slowly losing grip of his own humanity. "This isn't like you! You are**not** a killer. You are **not** a monster… You are**not** like _Vash_!"

That made Matthew stop where he was. Monster? No, he wasn't a monster... Slowly, he moved his paw off of Vash, his limbs trembling. He turned his head to look at Francis, eyes filled with sadness. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He cried, a soft whine coming from deep in his throat.

He shifted back to his human form, turning away from Fracis, instead to the hatchling who'd been carelessly thrown aside by the knight when he was attacked.

He stumbled over to the baby dragon and scooped it into his arms, cradling it to his chest, as if it were still alive to nuzzle him back. He cried, or rather screamed, his sorrows out at the sky, wishing something could be changed.

Francis' heart was breaking into pieces as he watched Matthew mourn over the hatchling. It was physically painful to see the dear dragon suffering so.

The blue-eyed Knight fell to his knees. As carefully as he could, Francis wrapped his arms gently around Matthew and the hatchling. He tried whispering comforting words to the dragon but found it difficult as he himself began to weep for the distraught creature in his embrace.

Matthew continued to sob, barely noticing that Francis was there. He held the hatchling as if he couldn't let go.

Gold and silver, also shedding tears, turned away from the sight, eyes hardened by this betrayal.

"What is the meaning of this, human king?" Romulus growled, voice filled with anger. "We ask that you come in peace and this human, one of your knights, has come bearing a kill. One of our hatchlings, an innocent life that had no reason to be lost from us." He let a golden wing settle over Folkert's drooping body, a small attempt to comfort the pained elder. "How is this a message of your peace?!"

Roderich open and closed his mouth as he looked at the scene before him; for a moment he was at a loss for words. When he returned his gaze back to the elders, his eyes were wide with sadness and fear. "I-I was unaware that he had followed us here." He tried explaining. "We came here with every intention of making amends with your kind. Vash was acting of his own accord. We did not mean for this tragedy to befall you!"

"Even if he worked under his own actions, he is one of your people," Romulus hissed coldly. "He is a human who has shown his disagreement with your decision. Can you say there will not be more who will side with him?!"

"Th-there will be more."

It went deathly silent as all heads turned to the fallen knight.

"I am...not the only one who w-will be displeased. Like how you took...my younger s-sister, they will take a-all of you," he gasped, forcing himself to sit up. "Your young...the adults...even you Elders. You will l-learn our wrath."

He glanced at Matthew who froze, gaze showing his hatred and fear. "You s-should've killed me. I came...here to die. Since you didn't, I guess I'll have to do it myself." Weakened limbs moved, pulling a dagger hidden away. Metal flashed and more blood spilled to the ground.

Matthew closed his eyes and looked down, away from the knight who'd slit his own throat.

Francis held Matthew tighter, shielding him away from the bloody sight.

Silence fell once again. Fear and mistrust were very clear in the eyes of the other dragons as the fallen knight's words penetrated into their sorrow.

Roderich didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to **do**! He didn't know how to possibly right this wrong that had been made.

"Please… do not listen to what he said. We can still find a way to live peacefully." The King stated.

"If even one human is against us, there is more potential loss," Romulus snapped. "Just like the one we suffered now. How can we trust your words when there is obviously going to be betrayals of a pact?"

Alfred stepped over to the elders, quietly, lips set in a straight line. "Elders, I am but a fledgling in your eyes. However, with what I've seen in my time, I can say there is bad in everyone. But there is also good. There will always be someone who disagrees with what we think. Matthew turned me in for treason against my kin. Do you not remember? And yet here he is, with a human. They do not hate or fear each other. It is the same with me and Arthur. He feared me, but we are together now."

Folkert glared at Alfred, mind frayed by what he'd seen. "There might be little good in this Alfred! Why would I want to risk my kin with such an idea? I've already lost one because of this!"

"And hating humans and warring with them will only lead to more loss." Alfred retorted, voice firm.

"We cannot trust-" Folkert started, before being interrupted by Alfred again.

"Can you say that your judgement is not clouded at this moment?" Alfred asked, effectively silencing the silver dragon. "Can you honestly tell me that this important decision, one that will affect everyone's lives, not just our kin's, is not being based solely on what just happened?" He watched as Romulus frowned, wary of a possible attack. "If you suddenly snap and decide to war with humans now, because of this, it will lead to more unreasonable deaths. Not just for dragons. For humans too. If we were to act in such a way, we would be like that man. We would be murdering innocent people who had no want to be involved in such a mess."

He gestured to the hatchling. "Do you want to know that one of your kin committed the same act? Would you want that burden on your shoulder, knowing that a little life was stolen based on a fear of what happened in the past? Or would you rather take a step in what could be a brighter and safer future for all of us?"

The two dragons did not reply, both of their gazes bitterly conflicted.

"You cannot answer any of that, can you?" Alfred asked. "Because you are too muddled. I propose that we pull away from this for now. I do not say that we are to give up on this idea; it's one I want to strive for. I want you to think about what I have said, what I have asked of you. I am not the most wise of dragons, nor the most experienced, but I can tell you that jumping to a decision is stupid and dangerous."

The golden dragon heaved a heavy sigh, lowering his head to set his gaze on eye-level with the blue dragon who gazed straight back. "Your words weigh heavy on our minds, but we cannot stay here to think."

Alfred stiffened.

"All of our kin, the Windsong tribe, will move to a safer place. One far from humankind where we will not be so easily reached. We will think about your thoughts, Alfred, but you will have yet to hear of us." Romulus spoke.

The pair rose to their feet and took off into the air. "The little one, please bury him somewhere by the springs. It is where he was born," Folkert requested softly, eyes still sad.

Matthew nodded and the two were gone.

Arthur began to approach Alfred slowly at first… but then hurriedly closed the last few steps between them. He threw his arms tightly around the dragon when he felt his legs begin to fail him. He clung on to Alfred like he was a lifeline.

Everything had just happened so fast. Vash's vendetta, the dead hatchling, Matthew's breakdown, the Elders postponement of their decision… it was all making Arthur's head spin. The only thing that made any sense in this madness was Alfred. Alfred who stayed strong. Alfred who stood up to the Elders. Alfred who was Arthur's rock in this confusing mess.

Alfred turned and smiled tiredly at Arthur, though that tiredness was not just a physical one. It betrayed an emotional tiredness as well. He let his arms slip around Arthur, hugging him tightly. As firm as he'd been, now all he wanted to do was just lay down and, not sleep, but think.

What happened now? Why did things happen the way they did? What would happen in the future?

Matthew stood, a soft sigh uttered. The tears had stopped falling, but he felt he should cry a million more, even if he couldn't produce them. His dulled eyes met with his brother's, speaking a nonverbal explanation.

He didn't have to say anything; Folkert's request was enough of an explanation. The hatchling had to be returned from where he came. His Mother Earth, by the springs where he was born.

Both Arthur and Francis also caught the gist of the unspoken conversation between the two brothers. Arthur relinquished his hold on Alfred settling for taking a firm comforting grasp on the dragons hand while Francis did the same with Matthew.

Even the King, who remained respectfully quiet in this time of mourning, stepped forward to offer his condolences.

Matthew made no attempt to reply to anyone's gaze or words or calming touches. This hatchling was not his, even if he felt like it was. But with no dragons here to offer it a farewell, he had to take their place.

And this was something he would do alone.

Matthew smiled sadly at Francis before pulling his bloodied hand away. He shifted back to his dragon form, the baby still in his grasp before taking to the air, heading for the springs of their native forest.

Alfred sank to his knees, before falling back into an awkward sitting position. There was too much on their shoulders. Not just his or Matthew's, but the rest of theirs.

It was supposed to all be over but it wasn't. Not anymore.

"What do we do now?" He asked, not quite directing it to anyone in particular.

Arthur sank to his knees to join Alfred's side. He tried to find the best words to try and comfort his dragon.

"We keep pursuing this belief." Someone spoke before Arthur could. Arthur looked up, surprised to find that it was the King who answered Alfred's question.

King Roderich looked hesitantly at Alfred before speaking again, "I admit that I had my doubts before about this whole business… but after what has happened and after what you had said to your Elders, I realized that we can not give up on this. We **can't** let these hateful acts continue."

"Hah!" Alfred laughed softly. "I had a feeling you would say that." He pulled Arthur to him to press a kiss to his forehead. "I'm more than willing to help you with that," he mused, eyeing Roderich with respect. "This isn't going to be easy by any means, but I'd like to see that we come through it."

He turned to Francis and gave a reluctant nod. "You, go find Mattie. He's probably alone when he shouldn't be. I don't think I'm going to be much help. I don't like you much at all, and I have no fucking clue why he does, but if you so much as hurt a single hair on his head or make him shed a single tear, I'll come to kill you myself. I can promise you that."

Francis gave Alfred a sad smile. "Believe me when I say I would never intentionally do anything to upset your brother. I will do all that I can to help him." He felt a little wary that Alfred still doubted him, but he was glad that Alfred was giving him permission to go look after the grieving dragon.

He turned to face the King and Arthur and said, "I wish you all luck. Hopefully you can all think of the next step we need to take." And with that he left towards the direction that Matthew took off to.

"So what do we do next?" Arthur mused aloud.

"First, I think we should fly back to Hetalia." King Roderich replied. "The Elders need to know that we are serious about wanting to make things right, so we need to start by changing a few laws in our Kingdom."

"Well, I'm willing to try anything at this point," Alfred sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But I think you're gonna have to start keeping a wary eye on the people around you. If me and Mattie are going to be around (and they all know we're dragons by now), I'm sure there will be people against it. But I'd like to think about that after we get some rest. There was too much that happened in such a short amount of time." He stood back up, pulling Arthur with him before shifting to his dragon form. "The other two will know where to find us. They'll get there when they're ready. For now let's head back."

"We'll have to be careful when we arrive." Arthur warned Alfred as he settled himself on the dragon's back. "I don't want anyone attacking you on our arrival."

"Leave that to me." Roderich replied as Arthur assisted him onto the dragon. "I'll do my best to ensure your safety… um by the way, you _do_ fly just as carefully as your brother don't you?" The King had been extremely anxious during his flight with Matthew even though the dragon was gentle with him. (The King was just not a fan of hights.)

"Mattie just made me seem bad!" Alfred snorted, leering back at the pair with a pout, before it turned into a grin. "I'm a good flier! Why would I throw you off?" The grin grew sly. "I'm just not as slow as him..." A few flaps and they were sent into the sky.

* * *

Francis hurriedly followed the sound of water, where he knew Matthew would be. The more he thought about the dragons sorrow the faster he moved. Several times he tripped over rocks or a tree root that was protruding from the ground in his hurry to reach the dragon.

After what seemed like ages to the blue-eyed knight, Francis finally reached an opening to a clearing. Beyond it he saw Matthew's figure standing next to the water.

Francis approached the dragon slowly. "Mathieu…" he spoke softly.

Matthew turned to look at the approaching man, seeming surprised at his arrival. He smiled a bit, rubbing some dirt off his face. "It's alright now. I've buried him where he belongs. He'll be in a better place now. Even without the request I would have done this." He looked back at the small mound by the springs. "I'm sorry that you had to see what you did, and I want to thank you for stopping me before I killed him. I lost myself there and I didn't even realize that I was becoming what he said we were."

He shuddered when he recalled the rage and his murderous thoughts. "I didn't think I was even capable of that, but I guess I was proven wrong..." He laughed softly. "I just, I don't even know what to do now. I'm scared that if this all gets worse that I'll become that thing again."

"You won't become that thing again." Francis insisted. He placed a hand under Matthew's chin and gently raised it until those amethyst eyes were staring into his own blue ones. "Mathieu, you don't realize how proud I am of you… you could have killed that man for what he did, but you didn't. You refused to give into that side of you because you are strong and good."

Francis looked intensely into those beautiful eyes; willing for the dragon to listen and believe the words he was saying. "You must stop doubting yourself like this. You must see yourself for who you are. Because once you do… you will never have to worry about that unwanted side again."

The violet dragon paused, blinking as he tried to absorb everything that he was being told before smiling gratefully. "See? That's what I mean. You just seem to keep helping me like that. I probably would've gone and ripped him apart, but when you kept talking to me, it made me stop. _You_ stopped me Francis. It wasn't me."

Francis smiled warmly at the dragon. "Darling, I merely spoke to you. It was you who chose to stop." Not being able to help himself, Francis moved back the hair on Matthew's forehead and placed a soft kiss upon it. "You mustn't give me credit for your own triumphs." Francis murmured as his lips ghosted over Matthews forehead.

Matthew blushed deeply, for multiple reasons. "W-well, it really did help me though..."

Francis pulled back and admired the adorable look on Matthew's face. "Well, if you truly believe that I helped… then I'll always stay by your side so that I can be there for you when you need me most."

Matthew snorted, though the smile crept back onto his face. "You make it sound like you're proposing to me!"

"How do you know I'm not?" Francis questioned teasingly.

Matthew froze and blushed again, raising his face to look at Francis. "What?"

Francis meant to tell Matthew he was only teasing, but he found himself unable to do so. Instead, he stumbled over his words trying to find a different reply, "Well… when i say that… what I mean is… is that… I don't think I ever want to be away from you. I know we only met a couple of days ago and, please forgive me for using the mother lord of all cliques, but I feel like I've known you for so much longer. I wish to spend as much time with you as possible… b-but I wouldn't exactly _propose_ to you just yet. A-after all we haven't even kissed yet!"

Matthew flushed a deeper color. Kiss? Oh so_that's_ what he had meant to do back at the castle...both times...

Oops...

"K-kiss? You want to kiss me?" Matthew squeaked. It wasn't what he expected to hear at all. He was expecting for him to tell him it was all a joke and then laugh it off. Not become flustered and try and explain it all.

"I-I don't mind..." He mumbled, shifting on his feet awkwardly. What else could he think of to say?

"Y-you don't?" Francis asked wide eyed.

The dragon shook his head, embarrassed. "N-no...I don't...I mean if you don't mind, or something..." He scuffed the ground with his foot, staring at the rock next to it like it was the most interesting thing in the world at the moment.

"Mind?" Francis laughed. He cupped Matthew's face to bring the dragons attention back to him. "Mon cher, I've been simply dying kiss you." And with that, Francis closed the distance between them.

The smaller blonde started to ask why but let out a sound of pleasant surprise when his own lips met with those of the knight's. He kissed back and let his arms snake around Francis' neck, fingers slipping together for a better hold.

Francis was so elated by Matthew's reaction. He reveled in the bold, sweet taste of Matthew's soft lips.

Reluctantly, Francis pulled away to smile gently at the other blond. "I love you." The words came out before Francis could even think to stop them.

Matthew smiled warmly and hugged Francis tightly, mewling happily. "I love you too!"

Francis held the dragon close for a moment, enjoying Matthew's warmth, before sighing, "I wish I could keep you to myself the whole night… but we should start heading back soon." Part of Francis didn't want Arthur and Alfred to be upset with him for bringing Matthew back late.

Matthew shook his head, not quite willing to go back just yet. Not when he'd finally gotten a confession. "I think...I think the others can wait for us."

"Ha, I guess you're right." Francis laughed. He, like Matthew, wasn't eager to go back… Damn it all if the others got upset with him for keeping Matthew a while longer.

"We can stay here a bit longer to enjoy each others company." Francis smiled down at Matthew and pressed another kiss on the dragon's forehead. He felt so giddy to have this extra alone time with Matthew.

Matthew chuckled softly, leaning against Francis to rest his head against his shoulder. Hopefully, everything would just calm down so he could relax again. "Just a bit?" He asked teasingly.

A mischievous gleam danced across Francis' eyes. (He enjoyed it when Matthew used that playful tone.) "Well, perhaps we can stay even longer… but you may need to_persuade_ me."

The dragon noticed the gleam and decided to play along. "Persuade you?" He asked curiously. His hands reached up and brushed alongside the knight's jaw before pulling him in for a deep kiss. He pulled away, cheeks flushed lightly. "Like that?"

Francis was caught off guard by Matthew's reaction. He had been expecting the dragon to become red and flustered and have that adorable timid look that Francis liked so much. But he most certainly wasn't expecting that! Such a bold move left Francis speechless. It made him want to act boldly himself.

Francis dipped Matthew and initiated a deep kiss of his own, keeping a tight hold around the smaller man's waist to make sure he didn't fall. When he was finished thoroughly kissing the man, he pulled back slightly. "Mon cher, you are just too wonderful for words."

Matthew could only squeak as he was dipped back before being brought into such a passionate kiss. "I-I'm really not that wonderful," he breathed, slightly dazed.

"Oh, but you are." Francis smiled lovingly, as he brought Matthew back up. "You always surprise me and do something that I do not expect. In my eyes you're perfect."

Matthew blush grew, spreading across his cheeks to his ears. This man always seemed to do nothing but praise him, and it was not something he was used to at all.

His heart pounded loudly in his chest, and he was certain that Francis could hear it. He wanted to say something just as meaningful back, but he couldn't think of what to say. Words failed him, so he just decided to wrap his arms around the knight's neck, pulling himself closer so he could cling to him.

Francis felt so much meaning in that embrace. It was like Matthew was pouring all of his love into that gesture.

"I love the way you hold me." Francis sighed contently as he pulled the dragon even closer to him. "Promise to hold me like this everyday."

"O-only if you return the favor," Matthew whispered back, tightening his hold.

"Darling, if I had my way you would never leave my arms." Francis replied. He leaned forward until their foreheads where pressed together and let his eyes fall shut. He rubbed small circles in the others back and just enjoyed the feel of the body held against his own. It was a beautiful warm feeling that the knight never wanted to forget.

"Then don't let me..." Matthew pleaded, leaning into the touches. "I want to be yours."

Francis became still at Matthew's plea. Surely… he wasn't asking what he _thought_ he was asking.

"Y-you want to be mine?" Francis leaned back to look at the dragon's face. "You mean as in…" Francis trailed off leaving the sentence hanging. He was almost too afraid to hope what Matthew meant by those words.

Matthew nodded wordlessly, too embarrassed to say anything aloud. If that lingering feeling of want was anything to go by...then he was pretty damn sure.

Francis stared at Matthew in disbelief. He couldn't believe the dragon had _nodded_; had given his **approval**!

The knight couldn't hold himself back. He grasped either side of Matthew's head and locked their lips firmly together in a passionate kiss.

Matthew kissed back, a bit too desperately in his own opinion, letting out small sounds of pleasure. When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Matthew grabbed Francis' hand and tugged it gently. "N-not here!" He panted.

He pulled the knight to his home, which thankfully wasn't far away. It was a large den that, unlike Alfred's, had an entrance covered with plant life. Flowers bloomed everywhere.

He dragged the knight with him to his own nest of furs before letting go. "I-I know it's not exactly a very, uh, neat place. But, I think it'll be okay..." He stammered shyly.

Francis looked around the den once before turning his attention back to Matthew. "Your home is very cozy and quite lovely." The knight noted. "It suits you."

Francis grasped Matthew's hands and gently pulled him down until they were both sitting on the furs. "But of course it's no where _near_as lovely as you." He whispered as he stared longingly into the dragon's eyes.

The dragon flushed softly, edging closer to the knight, fingers gripping Francis' shirt sheepishly. He loved those deep blue eyes. They weren't as bright as his brother's, but they reminded him of the deep ocean, or the night sky. He could see the affection reflected in that rich color, and it made him tremble. He didn't think he'd be looked at with such adoration.

Francis placed a hand firmly on Matthew's hip and closed the distance between them to pull the dragon into another passionate kiss. He moaned as that taste from before filled his mouth. It was that same sweet taste. That same bold taste that was just so _Matthew_. It made him want the dragon **more**.

He pulled his mouth away from Mathew's and trailed kisses down his neck. Francis slid his hands under Matthew's shirt and began caressing the smooth expanse of skin. The skin was warm and soft to the touch… That sensation alone was enough to get Francis excited.

Matthew mewled softly at the soft kisses placed down the skin of his neck, before it became more of a mix of a whine and a moan when he felt warm hands start running across his torso. He slapped a hand over his mouth, embarrassed by the sounds he was making, the other uselessly clinging to Francis' feelings sent a jolt down his spine, made him want to cry out and pant.

"Please, do not hold yourself back." Francis pleaded against Matthew's neck. "I want to hear all of your delicious sounds." Those noises the dragon made were so arousing that the knight _hungered_ to hear more.

Francis pulled away once again to pull off Matthew's shirt, but once the garment was gone he immediately latched his mouth back onto the smaller blond. He skillfully worked his hands along Matthew's stomach while his mouth ghosted its way down the dragons collar bone. Without any warning, Francis covered one of Matthew's nipples with his mouth and rolled his tongue over it.

Matthew, despite his embarrassment, couldn't help but let out a louder moan, hands moving to tangle themselves in blonde hair rather than cover his mouth to restrain the sounds.

He panted and trembled, skin flushing red as he became more aroused.

Francis shuddered at the moan. It was the most arousing sound he had heard in his entire life. _Oh god_, how he wanted Matthew so badly.

Francis gently pushed Matthew until he was lying on his back in the bed of furs. He removed the dragon's pants so that the small blond was completely undressed. Francis then hovered above him; drinking in the sight of Matthew lying on his back panting. It was absolutely captivating. "Mmn, Mon cher. I never knew anything could look this exquisite."

Matthew blushed a dark red, feeling a strong desire to cover himself up so that he wasn't so vulnerable. He hadn't expected to be pushed down so suddenly and it made his heart throb. Yea, so he'd started all this but he could be nervous couldn't he?

He continued to tremble, meeting Francis' gaze with his own. "It's not fair though," he mumbled his complaint, brows furrowing slightly.

"What's not fair?" Francis questioned. He furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed Matthew tremble… Had he done something wrong?

Matthew pushed himself back up and then plopped himself on the knight's lap, hands resting on Francis' shoulders. "You stripped me but you haven't taken your clothing off," he explained, knowing he'd briefly thrown the man off.

"W-what?" Francis paled. Fear briefly flashed across his eyes, but he quickly recovered and gave Matthew a nervous smile. "Mon cher, I-I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me to be fully undressed…"

Matthew blinked and cocked his head. Why was he so nervous? "Why not? I want to see you." He let one arm slide down to rest against a bicep and stroked it softly. The other hand began to slowly pull up the bottom Francis' shirt.

"No!" Francis quickly grabbed Matthew's wrist to halt its movement.

Matthew became very startled. "I-I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean to hurt you or anything!" He burst out, nearly falling out of the man's lap. Hell, he hadn't meant to make Francis panic or feel bad about himself. He bit his lip and looked downcast, not sure how to react now.

The knight also seemed startled by his own reaction and quickly apologized. "I-I'm sorry, Mathieu. I did not mean to shout… I-I'm just very uncomfortable with removing my shirt… please do not get upset." Francis wrapped his arms tightly around the dragon. The sad look was grieving Francis' heart because he knew he was the cause of the dragon's sadness.

"You didn't hurt me. It's just…" Francis trailed off. And stared at Matthew, trying to find the words to explain. "It's just that I am very self conscious about the way I look."

That had him more confused. This person was very much beautiful. What did he have to be so self-conscious about? "But you...you're perfect. Why would you be so scared of showing me how you look?" He asked, concerned.

Francis shook his head slowly. "No… I'm not perfect." He hesitated for a moment debating whether or not he should continue to explain himself. He was afraid to tell Matthew, but at the same time he thought the dragon should know… So he relented.

"That day…" Francis started. "When that dragon attacked my home. I was in the sitting room with my parents when everything caught fire. They tried to protect me and hurry me out of the house. I barely made it out but… I was burned… badly."

Matthew's eyes widened and he felt tears well up in his eyes. So that was why? No wonder he was so afraid!

"Francis, it's alright." Matthew spoke softly. "I-I don't care if you're burned. You're still perfect to me. I wouldn't care if you were missing all your limbs, I'd still love you. You are you. I love you for that most of all. Not just your appearance."

He stroked the knight's face gently, carefully. "It's alright if you're afraid. But I am not going to laugh at you or feel disgusted if you were to show me. That's not love. I want you to feel okay about yourself."

"Mathieu…" Francis didn't know what to say. He was touched by what Matthew said to him. He began to feel tears of his own brimming his eyes.

"No! No crying!" Matthew begged, wiping the tears away with the pad of his thumb. "I wasn't trying to make you cry! I-I just want you to realize that I really, really love you no matter what, okay? If you have a million scars or burns or whatever, I'll love them too!"

Matthew pressed a kiss to Francis' forehead, and then his lips. "It's okay. It's okay to show yourself to me."

Francis smiled genuinely. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you fret with my tears. You just make me feel so loved and happy that I couldn't hold them back."

He placed one more kiss upon the dragon's lips before moving back to slowly, _slowly_, remove his shirt. He revealed the marred scare tissue that covered his shoulder and ran across his chest all the way down to his stomach.

Matthew took in the sight of the scarred, burned flesh. But it wasn't ugly. It reminded him of mixed marble for some reason. All he could say was that it made him love Francis more. "I still think that you're beautiful," he promised quietly, eyes softening.

Slowly, as to not startle the knight like he had before, he brought his hand up to run it down across the marred skin, tracing the discolored shapes of the scars as if mesmerized. He used both hands, feeling across the burns gently, lovingly caressing them before he leaned in to press his lips against Francis' chest, directly over his heart.

Francis let out a shuddering breath at the touch Matthew's gentle lips. Admiration for the dragon swelled inside him. Making his heart beat faster.

Francis brought Matthew's face up to his own and pressed their lips together once more. But this time it was not a desperate or needy kiss. It was a slow gentle kiss filled with love and adoration. He wrapped his arms around Matthew and pulled him close so that their bare chests were pressed against the other.

Matthew gasped as their skin touched, keening softly before kissing his knight again. His hands found their way to the back of Francis' head again, threading through his hair.

He loved this man, he really loved him a lot, and he was glad he was trusting him enough to do what he was doing, even going so far as to reveal his scars to Matthew.

Francis continued to kiss Matthew thoroughly as he caressed the dragons bare hips. Francis let his hands trail up the other's sides and along his back as he worshiped the softness of the skin.

After a few minutes, Francis pulled out of Matthew's grasp to remove his pants. He sighed in relief once he was no longer confined in the uncomfortable tightness of the garment.

Matthew gazed shyly at Francis as if asking what they were to do next. He wanted more touches. The caresses and gentle touches that had sent his heart racing and he wanted more. He whimpered softly, settling back in the knight's lap with a pleading look.

Francis groaned slightly at the look on Matthew's face. That yearning look fueled his own desire for the other. He rested his hand firmly on Matthew's waist to keep him in place and used the other hand to reach for his pouch that was sitting next to the nest of furs. He fumbled through it until he found a jar of salve and sat up properly to look back at the dragon.

"Are you sure you want to do this Mathieu?" Francis asked the question that had been gnawing at him. "It may hurt. So I want to know if you are ready before I do anything else."

Matthew nodded. He'd already known it would hurt. That was something to expect, and he'd already had a bit of time to think about it. And although it wasn't much time, he'd already settled on the decision before he could even argue with it.

Once he had gained Matthew's approval, Francis gently pushed the smaller blond back into the furs. He made sure Matthew was laying in a comfortable position before spreading the dragon's legs to settle himself in between them.

Francis opened the jar and slicked his fingers with the salve. "Just let me know if you want me to stop." Francis murmured.

"I'll be okay," Matthew replied, certain. "I know you won't hurt me."

Francis leaned down to kiss Matthew tenderly to distract the dragon as he slowly pressed his slick finger into Matthew's entrance.

Matthew gave a soft whine against the knight's lips, though it was more of a pleasurable one than one saying he was in pain.

The whine notified Francis that he was doing something right and it pleased him. He began to coat a second finger as he moved to nibble on Matthew's ear and carefully inserted that one in as well.

Arching his back a bit, Matthew winced slightly when the second finger entered him, though he tried not to show his discomfort as much as possible.

Noticing Matthew's discomfort, Francis quickly placed an apologetic kiss on the dragon's lips. He set down the jar of salve and used that hand to begin stroking Matthew's length.

Matthew let out a breathy moan, letting his eyes slip shut. The discomfort was swept away by the ripples of pleasure he was feeling.

When Matthew began to relax again, Francis started to slowly scissor his fingers inside the dragon. He curled his fingers slightly against the inner walls of Matthew's body. Trying to pleasure him further.

"F-Francis," Matthew groaned, adjusting to the now-pleasant stretching of his inner walls. He continued to whine softly until he felt those fingers brush against something, making him cry out louder. He trembled, face flushed as he tried not to roll his hips to get those fingers against that spot again. "W-what was that? That felt...r-really good."

_Oh_, how that cry sent a wave of long through Francis. "That's your prostate. It's supposed to make you feel wonderful." Francis answered as he gently rubbed his fingers on the spot, trying to memorize where it was at.

Having that spot rubbed again had the dragon mewling wantonly, a slurred version of his lover's name slipping past his lips.

Francis' heart raced as he heard his name called again. Hearing his name uttered from those beautiful lips kindled a warm feeling in the knight causing him to groan lightly.

The knight ceased stroking Matthew, but only momentarily, to slick a third finger with salve. He returned to rubbing Matthew's shaft as he entered the third finger.

Matthew winced again, biting his lip with a little hiss as the third finger was pressed in. He panted a bit more heavily, trying to adjust to the increased stretching.

Francis' concern for Matthew returned when he saw the dragon's discomfort; so he immediately began curling his fingers again to rub the spot that would give the dragon pleasure.

The dragon was starting to get a bit nervous about the discomfort he felt, until his prostate was rubbed once again, sending a wave of pleasure back through him, instantly making him forget the stinging he felt. He gasped and his hands gripped the knight's shoulders for stability, nails digging into the skin to leave red marks.

Something in Francis snapped. He wanted to go slow and be patient, but his self control was immediately tossed to hell at Matthew's grip. With an almost feral growl, Francis removed his fingers and dove forward. He began attacking Matthew's delicious mouth with ravenous burning kisses, moaning against the others lips.

"Mathieu…" Francis paused to thoroughly kiss the dragon before continuing. "I don't think I can wait anymore…"

Matthew moans slipped into whimpers when Francis' fingers were pulled out. He gazed at the knight who looked back at him with such want and it made him quiver with need. "So don't," he responded, at a loss of breath. As much as he felt good at the moment, he was starting to feel impatient too. "I want you inside me."

Francis nodded and pulled back. He grabbed the jar of salve once again and coated his member with the slippery substance.

Francis then crawled forward. He tightly grabbed Matthew's hips and positioned himself at the dragon's entrance. "If the pain becomes to much for you to handle then tell me. I'll stop immediately."

"I-I'm not going to let you stop," Matthew stammered, squeezing his lover's shoulders. "I don't care if it hurts a lot, I just...I really want this. So don't stop no matter what." His gaze became pleading. "I don't know if we'll get another chance like this. I **need** you, Francis, please."

Although Francis felt a burning desire for the blond beneath him, he still felt a little skeptical; he didn't want to hurt Matthew. So, as slowly and carefully as he could, Francis began to press himself inside Matthew.

Matthew gasped before he started biting his lip until it started bleed. He let out a strained whine as he was entered further, his grip tightening on Francis' shoulders. He forced himself to relax, clinging to his knight as he did.

Francis stilled immediately. His eyes widened when he realized Matthew was in pain. "Mathieu, perhaps we should stop. You are in too much pain and we can try this another time."

Matthew glared at Francis, the look not that intimidating when it was watery. "Don't you dare!" He shoved the knight over, reversing their positions so that he was on top. "I told you, I don't want to stop...no matter what. And I told you...there might not be another time." He huffed angrily. He flattened his palms against Francis' chest before pressing himself down, fully sheathing Francis inside him, gasping when he did.

Francis threw his head back and gave a shout of pleasure as he lost his composure. His breathing became harsh as Matthew's heat surrounded him. He didn't realize that Matthew had that in him. It was alluring. It was enticing. And, _oh god_, it was **sexy**.

"Mathieu." Francis gasped the name in pleasure.

Matthew panted heavily, eyes closed as he adjusted to Francis' girth. It hurt, but he was quickly over the pain. He reopened his eyes and looked down at Francis, and was more than happy to see how adoringly he was being looked at. Even the way his name was called was thrilling, making him feel treasured. "M-move with me, please," he requested.

Francis, who was unable to speak, nodded eagerly. He placed his hands back on Matthew's hips and helped lift the dragon slightly before thrusting into him.

Matthew moaned loudly as they began to move together, pressing back against the thrusts.

Francis' throat was vibrating with a long deep groan of ecstasy. The tightness was incredible. He had never felt anything as hot and erotic as this. He thrust again. Searching for the spot that would make Matthew scream with pleasure.

The dragon continued to meet with the thrusts, moans and cries erupting from his throat each time he did. His breathing was erratic and heavy, breaths coming out in short bursts. He continued to cry out a mantra of Francis' name, although it was hard to understand between the moans that seemed to break everything up.

But when his love struck that spot, any intelligible thoughts and words were lost, a cross between a scream and groan took their place.

Matthew's shout encouraged Francis to thrust into the spot again and again. He thrusted_faster_. Francis couldn't stop groaning. That sweet voice drove him beyond words. The heat was making him lightheaded, the incredible tightness and motion and friction was making him lose control.

It was getting hard for Matthew to hold himself up, he was feeling too good, trembling too much. Even keeping his hands pressed against Francis' chest wasn't helping since he had a habit of wanting to clutch and stroke and caress. His cries couldn't be held back either and his voice continued ring out, echoing against the rocky walls of his den.

The knight, taking notice of Matthew's trembling body, switched their positions once again. He set the dragon on his back and rolled on top of him. He re-entered Matthew's body with more controlled thrusts. He watched the dragon in inescapable captivation. "Matthieu you're so beautiful." He moaned with half lidded eyes.

Matthew started to complain when Francis pulled out, not happy about the loss of warmth, but when he was pressed on his back and filled again, all complaints were lost. He snaked his legs around his knight's waist, pulling him in deeper. He couldn't reply to the loving compliment said to him, eyes fluttering shut.

Francis closed his eyes in bliss as he felt himself slip further into the wonderful heat that was Matthew. The knight lent forward and began sucking at the dragons neck to leave a mark as he brought his hands between them. He grasped the small blond's quivering erection and began to pump it in time with his thrusts.

Matthew moaned again, breathing still erratic as he moved back into Francis' thrusts, feeling a jolt run down his spine when the knight marked his neck. He decided to return the favor and pulled Francis closer to leave his own marking, a deep red mark where his neck met his shoulders. He started to lose what little coordination he had when he was stroked. "Nn! Fr-Francis I'm close!" He cried, feeling the heat in his belly start to tighten.

"M-me too, darling." Francis moaned. Everything was becoming too much for the knight. The sight and sound… and _oh_ that feel of being marked was bringing him closer to climax. "Come with me."

Those words sent him over the edge and Matthew released with a loud, final cry of his knight's name, nails digging into Francis' shoulders, the red marks blossoming and flowing.

Francis felt the smaller blond clench around him and he was finished. With a cry of Matthew's name, Francis climaxed and spilled himself inside the dragon.

Matthew let out a quiet mewl of contentment as he was filled and then let himself drop back onto the furs, going limp as his chest heaved.

Francis weakly steadied himself to make sure he didn't collapse on Matthew. He remained there a few moments to muster enough energy to unsheath himself from the dragon. He laid in the furs and pulled Matthew close to him, whispering words of love.

Matthew welcomed the warmth of the embrace, pressing a kiss to Francis' cheek. "I told you I could handle it," he chuckled softly, still out of breath. "I love you."

Francis chucked lightly and kissed Matthew. "Darling… you're simply full of surprises." He murmured against the dragons lips.

"I am?" Matthew asked, settling against his lover. "I-I guess I just... I don't know... You made me want you." He tried to explain bashfully. He let a hand start tracing over the scars softly. "But at least you know you don't have to hide from me anymore. I want you to know everything about you, like you said you do for me."

Francis moaned contently at Matthew's caresses. He began running his fingers up and down the others spine. He enjoyed having the blushing blond in his arms. "Non, mon cher. I'll never hide anything from you… And we'll have plenty of time to learn more about each other. Because I wish to always remain by your side."

Matthew smiled warmly and nuzzled close to the other, murmuring his agreement before he fell asleep, exhausted.

Francis pulled the sleeping dragon closer. He let Matthew's even breaths and beating heart lull him into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Yamiyo had to write Vash's part cuz I just couldn't do it! It was way too hard and she made me cry when I read it. (She is super fantastic!)**

**Anyways, thanks again for reading! Please leave a review to let us know what you think of our story. n_n**

**Also, don't forget to read Yamiyodarknight's other stories. The link to her fanfic is on my profile.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again readers. Get ready for another chapter of Scálaí Drágon~!**

**I would also like to take this time to tell you that Yamiyo and I have started posting another dragon story. It's a Companion story to Scálaí called "L'erede del Drago" and it's a spamano fic. So if any of you are interested, go check it out. n_n**

**Anyways, on to the story!**

* * *

Thunk-tap. Thunk-tap. Thunk-tap.

The rhythmic sound of heavy footsteps against wooden floors rang throughout the room.

_Thunk-tap. Thunk-tap. Thunk-tap._

The noise became more and more irritating the longer it continued. It was loud and pestering like nails on a chalkboard.

**Thunk-tap. Thunk-tap. Thunk-tap.**

"Would you stop that infernal pacing?! You're giving me a headache!" Arthur snapped at the pacing dragon.

Alfred frowned, expression showing he was clearly frustrated. "I'm sorry! I can't help it! We've been waiting since yesterday for Mattie and that other guy (he still hated saying Francis' name) to come back! I know I told him to find Mattie but unless he got horribly lost, they should've been back way before now!"

He started pacing again. "I mean, the idiot might've got Mattie hurt or something, or got lost and made my bro look for him! I said to find him and bring him back! Not get lost and get Mattie trapped with him too!"

Arthur let out a heavy sigh as Alfred returned to his pacing. Not only did he find it annoying, he also found it a little unnerving. Usually, it was Arthur who did the pacing and worrying while Alfred tried to calm him down… not the other way around! It was unnatural.

"Alfred, I'm sure Matthew is completely fine. He's a smart lad. He wouldn't get lost and I'm positive he's not hurt." Arthur tried calming Alfred. He rose from the place he had been sitting and crossed the room towards the dragon. "He'll be back soon… I'm sure of it." Arthur rested his hand on Alfred's shoulder to make him halt.

"I'm just worried about Mattie. He's always been so timid and afraid of everything after what happened to his mate before," Alfred sighed, pulling Arthur for a tight hug. "And now with what happened to the hatchling, I'm afraid it could all happen again. I don't want_him_ to go and set Mattie off."

"I understand…" Arthur replied as he returned Alfred's embrace. "But he's stronger than you think he is… and if Francis does anything to upset Matthew, he will definitely be able to handle himself. You remember how he slapped the hell out of that wanker the last time he said something out of line."

Alfred snorted. That was true. Mattie **did**have one mean slap. And he didn't want to be on the receiving end of the blow should it come to it. "I guess you're right but they'd better get here-"

There was a few knocks and a flustered Matthew entered the room, looking more than apologetic. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to come back so late!" He apologized hurriedly, face flushed.

"Mattie!" Alfred let go of Arthur and pounced on his brother who let out a pained gasp when he did. The blue dragon pulled away to look at his brother. "What's wrong? You're not hurt are you?"

Francis, who entered behind Matthew, hurried to the violet eyed dragon's side. His eyes were full of concern when the dragon gasped painfully. "Are you alright?" He asked as he placed a gentle hand on Matthew's lower back.

Arthur looked suspiciously at the two newcomers. He couldn't place it, but he thought there was something a little odd with Matthew's reaction and where Francis had his hand placed…

"I thought I told you not to get him hurt!" Alfred snapped, glaring at Francis furiously. "The hell did you do to get him like that?!"

"I-it's alright Al," Matthew replied quickly, his face a deep red. "He didn't get me hurt!"

"Please believe me when I say that I tried to make sure Mathieu did not get hurt." Francis said nervously.

_Why did he phrase it like that?_ Arthur thought to himself. _Does that mean he knew Matthew would get hurt? And why is Matthew standing like that?_

Arthur's eyes widened. He suddenly realized why the dragon was standing uncomfortably like that… He himself had to move like that the day after…

"You bloody tosser!" Arthur bellowed at Francis, who jumped in shock.

Both Alfred and Matthew jumped at the shout, Matthew squeaking because he knew exactly what Arthur meant. Matthew's face flushed a deeper red, knowing they'd been caught.

"W-wait Arthur-" he started to say before he was cut off by his brother.

"Artie, what's going on here?" Alfred growled, glaring at Francis. "What'd you do to my brother, _**Francis**_?"

"Wait let me explain!" Francis pleaded desperately, but Arthur didn't give him time to explain.

Arthur grabbed the nearest object, a small figurine, and threw it angrily at Francis. When Francis dodged the object, Arthur quickly grabbed another to throw and continued yelling at the other knight.

"You perverted bastard! We **told** you to stay away from Matthew! How could you do something… something like _that_ to the poor lad?!" Arthur shouted as he tossed another object.

Alfred, finally getting it, grew even more furious. "You defiled my brother?!" He shrieked. "I told you to find him and help him not to go and **rape** him!"

Matthew had to grab him and hold him back from killing the poor knight. "W-wait! Would you two calm down for just a minute so we can explain?!" He pleaded.

"No! I'm gonna kill this bastard and make him regret he was ever born!" Alfred snarled, small flames escaping as he spoke. "I'm gonna tear your head off just like I promised, dammit! Mattie, let go!"

Now Francis found himself getting upset. "I most certainly wouldn't sleep with anyone if it wasn't consensual!" He defended himself. "I care deeply for Mathi-"

_**CRASH**_

Another object was thrown. It narrowly missed Francis' head and hit the wall behind him.

"But I specifically told you not to pursue him!" Arthur yelled. "Now I'll do something _worse_than turn you pink!"

Matthew was getting sick and tired of all the yelling, the constant shoving from his brother to get at Francis, the fact he wasn't being listened to. He was done.

"Would you all just shut the hell up for a few goddamned seconds?!" Matthew shouted, shoving his brother away. He huffed when he had their attention and stalked over to Francis (despite his slight limp) and stood in front of him protectively. "He didn't 'rape' me or do anything bad to me! Stop treating him like a criminal and maybe **listen** to me before you go off like this!"

He paused, glaring at the pair across from him. "For your information, I'm the one who asked him to make love with me! He didn't force me!" His glare grew scathing as he focused on Alfred. "So it's okay for you to be with Arthur and make love to him, but I can't have the same relationship, by my own choice, with Francis?! No, don't look at me like that, I know what you two did!"

He continued to bristle like an angry cat, temper lost. "I've had more than enough of you two treating me like a child when I can handle myself!" He turned to Arthur. "I'm a lot older than you too, so what exactly makes you think you're so much more wise and experienced than me, huh?" He clasped his hand with Francis' own. "I love him and he loves me! If you've got a problem with that then keep it to yourself!"

Francis was more than pleased with the way Matthew spoke to Alfred and Arthur. He was elated by the way Matthew defended their love… and the flabbergasted look on Arthur's face was just an added bonus.

"You see?" Francis said as he pulled Matthew closer and wrapped his arms around the dragon. "We were simply acting out on love… like you two apparently did."

Arthur turned a deep shade of red and refused to make eye contact with anyone. "S-sorry Matthew." He mumbled. "I didn't mean to treat you like a child."

Alfred's expression was angry, but very much embarrassed. He was the older brother so why was **he** getting scolded?! Maybe he was out of line, but he was trying to protect his only younger brother.

Matthew sighed, exasperated. "It's alright Arthur. I know you were just trying to help keep me out of danger but I can make my own decisions."

"I understand. I trust your judgement…" Arthur replied before turning to Francis. "And I trust that **you** will take care of Matthew."_ Or else_. The look on Arthur's face seemed to say.

"I have nothing but good intentions for his well being, mon ami." Francis answered holding Matthew just a little tighter.

Alfred didn't reply. He was still at a loss for words. He decided to sit in a chair on the side of the room where Arthur had been sitting earlier. He didn't look at anyone, expression showing his inner conflict about everything.

Matthew sighed internally. His brother would always be stubborn about wanting to act as his guardian.

Arthur immediately took notice of Alfred's mood. He frowned slightly, not liking to see the dragon look like this at all. He turned to whisper to Matthew, "Maybe you should take Francis for a walk around the castle while I stay here and talk to your brother."

Matthew nodded, frowning. He knew his brother was and would be upset about everything but he wasn't expecting that. "Alright. I, um, guess you should just let me know when to come back..."

He grabbed Francis and led him back out of the room, letting him know they had to leave for a bit.

Arthur waited patiently until they were out the room before turning to face Alfred.

"Alright." Arthur started as he approached the dragon. "What's on your mind?" He knew Alfred was upset about the whole Matthew and Francis business, but he thought it would be best for the dragon to confide his feelings to Arthur. That way, Alfred could speak freely without his brother being upset.

"I don't like any of this!" Alfred replied curtly, almost snapping. "He doesn't know how to treat Mattie! And I'm sure he doesn't know anything about dragons either! What if something happens to my brother? He's not going to know anything about what to so, what herbs to use or anything like that!

And not only that, but what if he ends up getting Mattie killed or badly hurt? You know what he did to me! What if he puts Mattie in that same position? He's already suffered enough, Arthur. He really has. I don't want him to go trough more pain; to snap again. He won't be able to handle it. He'll break!"

"Oh, Alfred…" Arthur breathed a sigh. He wrapped his arms around the sitting dragon so his face was cradled against Arthur's chest.

Arthur truly felt his heart go out to Alfred. The dragon had every right to feel concerned and angry about Matthew dating Francis. Arthur was also afraid of Francis somehow hurting Matthew, but he felt it wasn't his place to keep the two apart…

"I know you aren't happy with this, but we need to give Francis a chance. I still haven't forgiven him for what he did to you, and I never will, but I think he has proven that he really cares for Matthew." Arthur spoke as he tried comforting the dragon. "He protected him from the guards and he helped Matthew when he almost lost it at the meeting.

For some reason, Francis seems to ease some of Matthew's suffering. Matthew needs someone like that. It wouldn't be good to try and separate them. Besides, if we did that then we would be just like everyone else who tried to keep _us_ apart."

Alfred gave a muffled sigh, arms wrapping around Arthur's middle. He was right, of course, but it still bothered him a lot. He knew he would be terribly saddened and angry if his knight was taken from him, like how they'd been forbidden from each other before they'd gone and done everything that they did. "You're right... I'm sorry for snapping at you. He's the only family I've had for a long time. Our parents didn't live long after we were born. We were raised by the others in our kin, but Mattie and I were always closest. I don't want anyone to hurt him."

He looked up at Arthur gratefully, a small smile appearing on his face. "Thanks Artie."

"No problem, love." Arthur leant down and placed a kiss on Alfred's forehead. "And don't worry. Matthew won't get hurt. He has his big, _strong_ brother looking after him." Arthur emphasized the word 'strong' hoping that a little bit flattery would lift the dragons mood a bit.

Alfred snorted at the flattery, though it did help to brighten his mood. He brushed the side of Arthur's face lovingly with one hand before pulling him down so he could press a kiss on his lips. "You're too kind, Artie."

Arthur hummed in contentment at Alfred's praise. He just wanted to stay in the dragon's arms all day… but they had important matters to attend to.

"We should probably head out, love." Arthur spoke. "The King is holding a meeting with his court and he wanted us to be there."

Alfred sighed. Meetings were often boring. He'd much rather just do something fun like playing games than go to some meeting that likely had a bunch of old codgers that probably would hate him. But he had to do what he had to do, lest something horrible happen again.

"Alright. Let's get the other two and head over," he replied.

They made their way out of the room to look for Matthew and Francis as Arthur began explaining the King's Court to Alfred.

"There are four members of the court. Any laws the King wants to pass must be approved by all members."

"Are they anything to be worried about? I mean, like how me and Mattie are dragons? It's not gonna go well if they hate our guts." Alfred mused, before shrugging. "Ah, well, I guess we'll find out."

* * *

It didn't take long for them to find the others. Once they had informed Matthew and Francis of the meeting, they had all reported to the throne room where King Roderich was waiting for them.

"Thank you for coming." The King spoke from his throne. "My Court should be arriving in five minutes. I ask that the four of you sit to the side and observe. This discussion is mainly between me and my Court. You may only speak when you are spoken to… is that understood?"

Alfred frowned but nodded. They were the ones who had gotten the whole thing started. Why couldn't they play a bigger role in it all?

Arthur felt the same as Alfred. He was happy that they could actually sit in for this meeting but he wanted to be able to speak his mind. But he couldn't argue with the King, so he remained silent.

Matthew remained silent, and he planned to keep it that way. He wasn't fond of meetings and hated having to speak up about anything, though he would if he had to.

"Good." King Roderich replied in a satisfied voice. He motioned for them to take the seats that were provided for them.

Just as they began to sit, the doors opened and four people made their way into the room.

"Roderich, dear! I'm really surprised that you'd consider a meeting for something like this!" A woman with long brown hair called out to the king, smiling cheerfully. "Dragons were always creatures you hated. What made you change your mind?"

"That's what I'd like to know," the man behind her asked gruffly. He didn't look too happy to be there.

"Oh hush, Abel. Don't sound so rude. This is a very important proposition!"

"Well, he did change his views quite suddenly, Elizaveta." A woman with short blond spoke up. She looked a bit happier than her brother but she still looked skeptical about being there.

"The King must have a good reason to change his views, Bella." A man wearing glasses said.

"As a matter of fact I _do_ have a good reason, Eduard." King Roderich finally spoke up. If he didn't, he knew they would continue to bicker.

"I'd certainly love to hear it," Elizaveta chirped, settling into a seat in the room.

"It had better make sense. I don't want to hear some idealistic nonsense that's going to result in more problems," Abel snapped. "The last thing I want is some kind of stupid war."

"I'm trying to _prevent_ war and _solve_ our problems with the Dragons." King Roderich replied cooly.

"Well I would hope so." Bella twitted. "Although I think **all** those Dragons are hopeless problems that just can't be solved."

Arthur, who was sitting not too far from the Court Lady Bella, had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from lashing out at the woman. Even Francis was glowering at her, and the knight never glared at a lady.

"Maybe we should let the King continue before saying our opinions." Eduard remarked.

"Thank you, Eduard!" The King fumed. He was getting upset with all of the talking and he didn't like talking over others.

Once silence had finally fallen over the council, Roderich continued to speak, "As all of you know, I've called you here to talk about making things right with the Dragons. Thanks to these men…" Roderich motioned towards Arthur and Alfred. "I have seen that Dragons are not as terrible as we thought they were. It is _possible_ to get along with them and I believe that it would be cruel to continue killing them."

"Oh my! That's quite the change if attitude!" Elizaveta exclaimed excitedly clapping her hands together. "I agree that it could definitely help us if we can all get along. Imagine how we could prosper! I think we should go with this idea!"

"Are you joking?!" Abel snapped. "I don't think you have any idea of how much of a problem they've been until we started hunting them! They've killed many of our people! Why the hell would we possibly want to work with them now?!"

"I have to agree with my brother. This is just ridiculous." Bella argued. "And what about the supplies we need for our potions? Are we supposed to put **our** needs on hold while we let those beasts run free?!"

"I'm not sure how I feel about this." Eduard added. "I never really liked the thought of killing dragons, but Bella and Abel have a point. They have caused a lot of destruction and we need scales for our healing potions. We're in very short supply as it is."

"But we don't need to kill a dragon for its scales." Roderich countered. "Alfred could tell you that." The King motioned towards the dragon.

Alfred hesitated to speak, seeing as the arguments were getting pretty heated between the four. He still stepped forward in the end, giving a small nod as he did, ignoring the intense stares he was getting.

"Right..." He turned to address the four. "You've all known that the knight were always sent to kill dragons, so they were then able to obtain the scales for potions, namely the healing potion. But that isn't necessary. Dragons shed scales quite often for new ones. If you were to compromise and stop hunting them, they would then give you as much scales as you need."

"And how are we supposed to believe all that? Dragons are violent creatures! Why would they suddenly decide to give their scales to us? How can we trust you?!" Abel cut in sharply, slamming a hand on the table.

Alfred frowned not backing down. "I can say that because I AM a dragon. I was the first one to suggest such a deal, and I persuaded the others to go along with it, provided you stop hunting us."

Bella, upon hearing that there was a dragon in the room, began to look uncomfortable and fidget.

But Eduard leaned forward in interest. "You were the one to suggest starting all of this? That's amazing. What made you want to give us your scales after what our people have done to your species?"

"Er...well, I did it cuz of Artie." He glanced at the former knight. "I saved him and he taught me potions and spells in return. We grew… really close during that time," he paused to look at Elizaveta who had squeed before continuing, "and I didn't want him to get hurt if he had to continue hunting dragons. And, yes, he told me about how his ancestor was the one to start it all. I don't care."

Arthur looked away to hide a fond smile. He felt so proud of Alfred.

"Just because you agree to hand over your scales doesn't mean that the rest of your kind will." Bella hissed. She refused to look at Alfred as he spoke.

Alfred bit back a scowl, not quite happy that he was being treated like scum.

"Actually, we've already made arrangements with the rest," Matthew cut in firmly, also not happy. "Our elders already have come to an understanding and your king has already even met with them. I, as another dragon, can say that I am very willing to negotiate with humans so that the killing on both sides will stop."

"I don't believe you were given permission to speak." Bella snapped at Matthew. This earned her another harsh glare from Francis.

"Be quiet Bella." Eduard spoke angrily at the court woman. "Don't you see what a great opportunity this is? Not only will the killing and destruction stop, we will also have a chance to help our Kingdom flourish once again. We can have more healing remedies for our people who need them."

Matthew glared, full on **glared**, at the woman, keeping his stance firm. He wasn't going to let her scare him away when he had a duty to fulfill. He wasn't going to let more deaths happen needlessly.

"Who's to say it really will stop? What if they decide they'd rather just continue on attacking humans?" Abel countered. "They'll probably say they want peace and attack us when our guard is down!"

"I don't feel you've any right to say that." Matthew interjected icily, eyes glinting coldly. "During our meeting with the elders, while we kept all means of peace, one of your knights attacked and killed one of our hatchlings when he was under orders not to harm us. Orders from your king. If either of the sides should be worried about betrayal it should be ours. And yet here we are asking for a compromise."

It was silent for a few moments as Matthew's words weighed heavily on the court.

"Both sides are risking their safety to pass this law." The King broke the silence to speak again. "Maybe even more so for the dragons. If we want things to truly change, we need to gain their trust. Which is why I would like to pass a law making it illegal to kill a dragon."

Elizaveta hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger on the table. "I do wonder though... If someone from our side were to go and do so anyways, what will happen then? I can't say that there won't be people who object. And if they were to anger the dragons by killing one of their family, what would happen? What would we do about it? Would we treat it like murdering someone here or would it be a more serious crime?"

"And what would we do if they were to do the same? Give them a light slap on the wrist and let them go because our 'relationship' would be shaky? You can't coddle another race because they're dangerous!" Abel snapped.

"We aren't trying to coddle them." Roderich argued. "We are trying to earn their trust. We must treat people who kill a Dragons the same way we treat people who kill other people."

"So you do that by risking our lives?!" Bella raised her voice. "Those creatures cannot be trusted!"

"So much as they feel we cannot be trusted!" Elizaveta retorted sharply. "Didn't you hear what he said? He said a child of the dragons was killed! You saying that is just unfair! And how can you know they can be trusted if you've never tried?!"

"Because beasts will always be beasts!" Abel cut in, defending his sister. "They probably enjoy hunting and killing us off like insects!"

"We do not!" Alfred and Matthew protested angrily.

"If we really did would we have become so close with these knights? I would've never stayed with Arthur if I didn't love him! If I wanted him dead, he wouldn't even be here right now!" Alfred hissed.

"And if that were true, then don't you think we would've killed the king? Not request a meeting in the name of peace?! But we are here, seeking your help to make all this needless fighting and bloodshed stop!" Matthew shouted, bristling.

"They're right." Arthur finally spoke up. "They have had dozens of chances to kill us, but they didn't. A majority of the dragon's attacks against us are either self defense or result from an act of provocation when we kill someone they were close to. If you really want to stop all this destruction then it has to start here. In this kingdom."

Eduard rubbed his chin in deep thought. "Hmm, they do bring up very valid points."

"I agree. Anyone would fight back and kill if they had to were they in the position," Elizaveta mused, crossing her arms. "You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same if you had to protect your sister, right Abel?"

The man didn't reply, gaze stubbornly cast to the floor.

"The same goes for you, Bella." Eduard addressed the court woman. "Wouldn't you do the same for Abel?"

Bella looked away, trying to look stubborn like her brother, but it was obvious that there was confliction in her eyes.

Roderich, seeing the siblings starting to relent, asked the court, "If I was to ask your permission to pass this law, would all of you give me your consent?"

"I would." Elizaveta replied immediately. "I can see it will be of great help to our kingdom and people, as well as benefitting the dragons."

"...I still don't like it, at all." Abel muttered rather bitterly. "But if you see it best, then I will consent."

"We should have the papers all finalizedtomorrow morning." Roderich told the celebrating dragons. "You are welcome to stay in the castle overnight and leave to tell your Elders in the morning."

"We would love to," Matthew accepted gratefully with a nod of his head.

"Oh and Arthur." Roderich turned to face Arthur. "I have been meaning to ask, how would you like to be reinstated into knighthood?"

Arthur felt excitement welling up inside him. So many good things were happening right now! "It would be an honor to have my title back, your majesty."

"Yay! They accepted you again Artie!" Alfred cheered, planting a kiss on the knight's cheek. "Congratulations, you've really earned it!" (Was it his imagination or was Elizaveta having a horrible nosebleed?)

Arthur blushed, but turned to finally return Alfred's embrace. "Thank you Alfred. I'm just glad that things are finally starting to look up for us."

"Qui." Francis said as he wrapped his arms around Matthew. "I'm happy that you will no longer have to worry about being hunted."

"We'll be okay. We went through some rough spots, and there could be more, but we can do anything!" Alfred reassured, squeezing Arthur close.

Matthew smiled at Francis warmly. "Me too. At least we don't have to hide our relationships now, right?"

"Right!" Alfred chirped loudly.

"You all are just too precious!" Elizaveta cooed, walking over to greet the group. "I'm glad we were able to settle this matter peacefully. And I'm glad you were able to be reinstated, Arthur. It must have been tough being treated like a criminal."

Arthur, who became embarrassed with the way Elizaveta seemed to be fawning over them, quickly let go of Alfred and addressed her properly. "Yes, well it was a bit frustrating and a little bit frightening, but I'm glad it's all cleared up now. Thank you so much for your support, Elizaveta."

"Oh, Arthur! Don't be so formal with me, that makes me feel old!" Elizaveta scolded, pursing her lips. The pout again turned to a smile. "I'm glad that soon all this nonsense will quiet down and just disappear. Or at least fade away. I've always thought that hunting dragons was quite absurd! But you four were able to show the others that you can't just believe what you're being told."

"I'm glad you think so." Arthur smiled. He felt at ease with the way Elizaveta talked to them. "Hopefully others will agree."

"Of course they'll agree." Francis remarked. "Stop being a pessimist. Everything will be fine."

"I'm sure they will. Maybe not immediately but change will surely happen eventually. It was bound to." Elizaveta agreed. "Change is bound to be objected to, but it is for the best. They will learn, just like we all did."

"They won't object for long." Francis spoke suavely as he pulled Matthew closer to him. "Soon the winds of persecution will blow over." He said poetically, trying to impress the dragon in his arms.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the Knight. "Try not to make a fool of yourself."

Matthew chuckled at Francis' antics but found himself charmed nonetheless. "Just let him be," he replied to Arthur light-heartedly.

"But once you let him start he won't stop." Arthur warned.

"Don't be poisoned by his spitefulness, Mathieu!" Francis said dramatically. "He is just jealous of my eloquent words."

"I think I can handle it," Matthew laughed cheerfully, patting his lover on the arm. "If we're supposed to stay together then I think I can handle all his quirks and such."

"Spoken like a true lover!" Elizaveta mewled, cheeks flushed. "How adorable~! How I envy such a love like that!"

"I just got lucky." Francis beamed. "But I'm sure someone like yourself has a string of beaus that would go crazy over you."

"Urgh, I don't think I can take much more of this." Arthur claimed. "I'm going to turn in early."

Elizaveta laughed, before nodding to Arthur. "Sleep well, dear. I'm sure there will be a lot more to come in the future."

"I'm gonna go with ya Artie. If me and Mattie are gonna be flying to the elders tomorrow, we're gonna need plenty of rest."

"He's right," Matthew sighed. "That's going to be a long flight. And probably not an easy one."

"Then I shall accompany you to bed." Francis chimed to Matthew.

Matthew blushed slightly, but nodded. He still couldn't get used to the idea of not sleeping alone as he had been for a long time.

"Well then, you two take care as well." The woman chirped. "I'll leave you alone now. We've got paperwork to take care of if we want this law passed." She bowed and left.

"I guess we'll see you two in the morning." Arthur said to Francis and Matthew. "Have a good night's rest."

"You too." Matthew replied giving a small wave to him and his brother as they headed off. "Sleep well."

Arthur and Alfred also began making their way towards their room. "How long do you think you'll be gone?" Arthur questioned Alfred as thy walked through the silent castle corridors.

"Well, I figure they're staying in the mountain range that's quite a ways from our original nesting grounds." Alfred explained. "I'd say two days to fly there. One and a half to get back. It's easier to leave mountains than to get there. The winds aren't very hospitable. It could be quicker coming back, but I can't be certain. We're not going to stay long. Just to deliver the message and rest a bit then come straight back unless they need something of us."

Arthur nodded. He felt a little disappointed that Alfred was leaving. He had gotten so used to seeing the dragon everyday that the thought of being a apart for a few days bothered him.

"I'll miss you while you're gone." Arthur mumbled quietly. "But make sure you're careful and don't push yourself. I don't want you to get hurt on the way there and back."

Alfred smiled a bit sadly and pulled Arthur close, hugging him tightly. "I'll be okay." He pulled something out if his pocket and revealed the pendant the knight had given him in his hand. "After all, I still always keep this with me. It's brought me good luck all the way up til now. I think it'll keep workin' for me."

Arthur smiled happily when Alfred pulled the pendant out. He felt touched that the dragon had kept it safe. But his smile vanished when he remembered what had happened to Alfred's scales. He had lost them in his confrontation with Francis. He felt guilty that Alfred kept his gift to him while Arthur had lost his.

"Hey. You okay? What's wrong?" Alfred asked, quickly taking notice of Arthur's unease. He ruffled the blonde's hair gently. "What's bothering you?"

"Sorry it's just…" Arthur looked down at the floor guiltily. "I lost your scales the day I was prevented from meeting the King. I'm so sorry, Alfred. You were kind enough to give them to me and they got taken away… I feel terrible."

Alfred laughed softly. "Artie, that's what you're worrying about? I've got hundreds of scales. A couple missing isn't anything major! I know you feel bad because I gave them to you, but I'd give you every single one of them if you wanted them."

He smiled at his lover. How honest this man was, that he would admit something like that, even if he thought it meant that he'd get in trouble. "I wouldn't ever be mad at you for something like that." He pulled away from the knight. "I'll be right back. You go to the room and I'll be there shortly." He winked. "Don't ask, just go." And with that he took off running.

Arthur stood there a moment as he quizzically watched the dragon run out of sight. He was glad that Alfred wasn't upset with him for losing the scales but he wondered where (and why) the dragon had run off. But Arthur did what he was told and went to their room to wait for Alfred.

It was about half an hour later that Alfred came back, huffing and puffing before trotting over to Arthur, hands behind his back. "Hey! Hey! Artie! Close your eyes!" He was grinning playfully, blue eyes twinkling.

Arthur laughed at the dragons appearance. Those blue eyes never ceased to make his heart leap with joy. The Knight closed his eyes tightly and asked, "What are you up to?"

"You'll see, you'll see," Alfred sang, sounding very amused.

All Arthur could feel was something slipping past his throat, thin like string except stronger. Something was held on the middle of it; light but had a weight to it, a familiar feel.

"Okay, you can open your eyes."

Arthur slowly opened his eyes and looked down to see what Alfred had place on him.

"Alfred!" Arthur gasped in surprise when he saw the necklace that the dragon had given him.

"Hehe, I felt bad. You losing the scales was partly my fault. It's not a fancy chain like what you gave me. It's made of leather so it'll still be strong but pliable." Alfred explained, scratching his head sheepishly. "At least this way you can keep it on you easier."

"I love it." Arthur whispered as he stroked the scale fondly. It shined just as brightly as Alfred's sapphire eyes. He turned back to The dragon and pulled him down to place a deep kiss on the other's lips.

When he was finished thoroughly kissing the dragon, he pulled back slightly to smile lovingly at Alfred. "Thank you. I'll always keep it with me."

Alfred continued to smile brightly, a faint blush still apparent on his cheeks. "That's good! I had to get some help to get it properly placed on it. Dragon scales aren't exactly easy to puncture... But I managed." He scooped the knight into his arms, and then carried him over to their bed before placing him on it. "But it's not important. We need some rest and I don't plan on letting you go all night."

Arthur loved the thought of being in Alfred's arms all night, so he began to pull the dragon into bed with him. "That's good because I was just thinking the same about you. Now hurry up into bed. I don't want you falling asleep on your way over to see the Elders."

Alfred chuckled, getting into the bed. He waited for Arthur to settle down before wrapping his arms around the man, pulling him to his chest. "That won't happen. With you, I feel more safe than anywhere else in this world."

"I feel the same way about you…" Arthur blushed. He wished he was capable of saying sweet romantic nothings like Alfred did. Every word out of the Dragon's mouth was a gift that Arthur cherished.

He rested his head against Alfred's strong chest. "I love you." He murmured.

"I love you too, Artie. I always will." Alfred whispered back. "And that's why everything will be okay."

* * *

**I love how fluffeh usuk can be (/u/)**

**We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Pleasrelease us a review to let us know what you think~!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again readers! We hope you're all ready for this chapter~! Although I have to warn you, since I forgot to last time, there will be some violence in this chapter. So be prepared!**

**ItalianCrybaby: Arthur, Francis, Roderich, Gupta, Sadik**

**YamiyoDarknight: Alfred, Matthew, Romulus, Folkert**

**Enjoy~!**

* * *

Arthur felt miserable. He knew that being separated from his beloved dragon would be hard but he didn't realize it would be **this**hard. He missed everything about the dragon. His smile that made Arthur heart jump, his contagious laughter, his warm strong embrace, and even his scent. It had only been three days since the dragons left and already Arthur's memory of the dragon's scent was becoming faint. That thought made the knight sigh sadly to himself.

"Are you moping again?" A voice snapped Arthur out of his thoughts.

He looked up to find that Francis had entered the armory where Arthur was preparing to go out and do his duties.

"So what if I am?" Arthur said childishly.

"You know they're coming back tomorrow, right?" Francis raised an eyebrow at the other Knight. "Stop acting like they're never coming back. It's depressing me."

"I can't help it if I miss them." Arthur turned away to finish packing his pouch with items he would need for today's work.

"I miss them too, but it's no reason to be all down in the depths of despair about it." Francis replied. He eyed the bag that Arthur was packing. "You're not going out to work again are you? I know you just got reinstated but you should take it easy."

"I don't want to '_take it easy_'." Arthur informed Francis. "I have a duty to uphold. Plus, I don't want to just sit around waiting for them to come back. Time goes by faster when I'm working."

Francis just gave a defeated sigh. "If you say so… but if you work yourself to death, tell Alfred it was your fault **not** mine."

Arthur left the castle soon after encountering Francis. He honestly didn't even know why he tried carrying on his duties like he used to. Most of the citizens avoided him. They still weren't happy with him for befriending a dragon and, although the King had pardoned Arthur of all crimes, there were still prejudiced people in the Kingdom who did not like the change Arthur stood for.

It hurt Arthur to see people reject him and decline his assistance. He wished he could follow the other Knight's advice and '_take it easy'_ but he knew he would just feel restless doing nothing. Plus, Arthur felt he shouldn't give up. It would be shameful to neglect his duties just because some people didn't like him. He was sure if he kept working at it, someone would eventually want his assistant–

"Sir?! Sir?! Excuse me, Sir?!"

Arthur spun around when he heard a distressed voice. A young man that the knight had never seen before was quickly running towards him. He had tan skin and wore travelers clothes along with a keffiyeh. The young man stopped in front of Arthur gasping for air like he had run a mile. (Which by the looks of it he most likely had!)

The man looked up at the knight; his dull forest green eyes were full of worry. "Y-you are a Knight c-correct?" The young man asked in-between gasps.

"Yes, yes I am." Arthur answered hurriedly. He stepped forward to assist the man. "What's wrong? Do you need any help?"

"Yes." The man answered immediately. "My name is Gupta, I'm a traveler and I came here with my friend, but he was badly injured and needs help!" The young man, who Arthur now knew as Gupta, looked close to tears.

"Calm down. Your friend will be just fine." Arthur tried comforting the lad. "Lead the way and I can help him."

"H-he's this way!" Gupta pointed towards the woods and hurriedly started running back the way he came. Arthur followed quickly behind.

Gupta was fast and Arthur was finding it hard to keep up with the lad. Once or twice Arthur almost lost sight of the man, but he would quickly get back on track when Gupta called back which way he'd turned to the knight. Arthur felt like he was running out of breath as they went deeper and deeper into the forest, but he refused to slow down. He needed to get to whoever needed his help.

"It's just a little farther ahead." He heard Gupta shout from ahead of him.

Arthur burst forward trying to catch up. "Just a little further." He thought to himself.

Arthur stopped running when he broke into a clearing. With his chest heaving slightly, Arthur rapidly looked around for the traveler. "Gupta? Gupta, where did you go?"

Arthur heard only silence. He looked around once more before he realized that something didn't feel right…

A jolt of pain went through Arthur as he felt someone hit him squarely on the back. The force of it caused Arthur to fall forward onto the ground.

"Heh heh, good job Gupta. Looks like you brought back a knight." A dark voice laughed.

Arthur lifted his head up to see a tall olive skinned man with a white mask staring down at him. There was a smirk on the man's face that made Arthur's skin crawl.

"I don't know who you think you are," Arthur started as he lifted himself off the ground, "but I'll have you know that it is illegal to attack a knight."

The man smiled knowingly at Arthur. "In case you haven't noticed, my pal Gupta and I aren't exactly from around here so the law doesn't apply to us." He began to circle Arthur in a menacing way.

"The law applies to any person who steps foot into our Kingdom." Arthur replied angrily as he stood his ground.

"Any _person_?" The tall man laughed again. As he halted right behind Arthur.

"I guess it's lucky that we aren't people then, right Sadiq?" Gupta questioned the man. Arthur's eyes grew wide.

"Right you are, Gupta." Sadiq answered. The masked man's appearance slowly began to transform into something more reptilian. Wings sprouted from the man's back, teeth and nails grew long and sharp, horns appeared atop his head, and a long tail swished threateningly back and forth.

"You're a dragon." Arthur stated in shock.

"Yes." Sadiq answered. "And quite frankly, I'm starting to get tired of you humans."

"You humans have been nothing but trouble for us." Gupta added as he glared at the knight. "And according to our Elders, suddenly we dragons are supposed to be ok with you all and give you our scales?! I don't think so." Gupta also took a menacing step forward. Arthur tried to take a step back, but it only caused him to bump into Sadiq.

"We decided that we want to teach the humans a lesson." Sadiq smirked as he put a heavy hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Let's see how they react while they watch us tear one of their beloved Knights limb from limb…"

Arthur realized that there was no way he would be able to reason with these dragons. They were angry and wanted blood. But Arthur didn't want to fight them either. They had just gotten the law passed and it wouldn't look good if he harmed them. So Arthur did the only thing he could think of. He tried to run.

Sadiq was much too fast for the knight. In one quick fluid movement, the dragon was before the fleeing knight. He grabbed Arthur roughly by the arm.

The knight let out a yelp of pain as he felt the dragon twist his arm with a sickening crack. The dragon tossed Arthur carelessly to Gupta who bound the knight in ropes.

* * *

The flight to the Elders had been a long, tiring one. Not only had the siblings not exactly known where their kin was hiding, there were complications due to blizzards developing in the higher atmosphere. It was one reason, they knew, that the kin had chosen to stay in this mountainous area. The constant storms, winds, and blizzards kept any human away. Only dragons could get past these natural barriers, though with some trouble.

As soon as they'd found their kin, they didn't even bother to rest before requesting to meet with the Elders in order to present the news they had. They were taken immediately to the silver and gold dragons to tell their story. The two Elders had adopted their human forms since over 200 dragons had to stay in this system of caves; there was not much room for the large mythical creatures otherwise.

"So what news is it that you bring us?" Romulus asked, looking quite interested in what they had to say. "Surely, it is in our favor?"

Alfred nodded. "The King met with his council. We were allowed to attend and it possibly helped win their favor since we were able to elaborate on points the King could not, as well as give proof as to what our intentions are. They agreed to compromise with us, and are currently writing into law what states that it will be illegal to kill a dragon."

Romulus smiled but Folkert remained his normal stoic self.

"Now, as we have come here bearing this news, I'd like to hear your final decision as well." Alfred stated firmly, brows furrowing. "I don't want to have come here to tell you this, only to hear that you've changed your mind."

"We thought about what you said to us before," Folkert replied curtly, ice-colored eyes focused on the young dragon. "We decided we will continue with your proposal. We understand that there will always be opposition, but we will work through it so that our kin, as well as the one of the humans, will no longer sustain such losses as they had before."

"You may tell that human King that we are fully willing to cooperate, so much as he is willing to cooperate with us." Romulus added. "There are more things we would like to discuss, but perhaps we can organize another meeting with that man so we may get our point across without you being our messenger bird. Tell him we will meet with him at his kingdom to discuss some things we would like to have his opinion on."

Alfred and Matthew both nodded their acknowledgement.

"Before you leave, you should rest, if even a little. The flight here is not easy. It will be easier going back, but you will not make it if you are tired," Folkert suggested.

"We'd certainly like that," Alfred agreed, grinning tiredly. "That blizzard was not fun!"

As the dragons were led back out, accompanied by the Elders, the blue dragon couldn't help but wonder what Arthur could be doing...

Surely, he wasn't working himself to death...was he?

* * *

Arthur felt like death. Sadiq thought it was fun to beat the Knight whenever he felt the urge to do so. Arthur couldn't even resist or fight back because his hands were bound behind his back. Any time he struggled, a sharp pain shot up his broken arm. He could feel bruises forming all over his body. His left eye was swollen and hard to see through.

Sadiq had only just ceased beating the knight once the sun started going down. The two dragons sat leisurely as if they hadn't just kidnapped and beaten the poor knight.

"So why don't you just kill him now?" Gupta asked Sadiq like it was the most common question in the world.

"Because, I want all those humans to see it." Sadik answered. "I want them to see the same fear and hopelessness in his eyes as was in the dragons that their kind mercilessly killed."

"Even if you _**do**_ kill me…" Arthur spoke up from where he was bound. "It won't stop change from coming."

Sadiq threw his head back and laughed mockingly at the knight. "You really think the humans will want anything to do with us once they see us killing one of their own? They'll just see us for what they think we all are. Beasts. Monsters."

"I don't think that's what you all are." Arthur muttered.

That caused Sadiq to stop his laughter. He and Gupta looked quizzically at the Knight. "What sort of knight _doesn't_ think dragons are monsters?" He questioned Arthur.

"The kind that befriends them." Arthur answered simply. _And falls in love with one…_

The two dragons continued to look puzzled by the knight. Finally, Sadiq said, "Then trying to befriend our kind was your first mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake." Arthur spat bitterly. "It was the best decision I've made in my entire life."

"And look at where it's gotten you." Sadiq mocked. "Just you wait. Come tomorrow morning, you'll regret ever trying to have anything to do with our kind."

Arthur glared at the dragons as they turned their attention away from the knight and continued talking in a playful banter. Arthur wasn't going to let them destroy all of the hard work he and Alfred had done to get both sides cooperating.

The Knight tried getting a feel for the ropes around his hands (even if it was difficult with his injuries). He figured he knew a spell or two to break free. He just needed to be patient. He had to wait for the dragons to fall asleep before he made his escape.

* * *

After a couple hours of rest and some food, both dragons felt they could make the returning trip easily. At least they wouldn't have to fight the winds head-long and could ride them out (so long as they were careful). So when they were ready, they bid farewell to the Elders as well as their kin before heading back. Matthew carried a message for Roderich written by Folkert, which conveyed their wishes and thoughts.

It was quiet as they flew except for the constant roar of the blizzard as it ripped past them like an angry beast. Alfred had nothing to say at the moment.

For some reason he had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. He had a pretty good intuition, but it seemed like right now it was chomping at the bit, trying to tell him something bad had happened. And he couldn't think of what it could be.

He just hoped it didn't involve Arthur and that he was okay.

* * *

Arthur crept quietly pass the sleeping dragons. Breaking free from the ropes was harder than he thought it would be.

If he tried cutting the ropes with a Slicing Charm then he would risk hurting himself. So, what he ended up doing was using a Lengthening Spell to loosen the ropes, but even then Arthur still had to wiggle himself free and that proved to be difficult with his broken arm. His lower lip was bleeding from him biting down onto it to suppress his cries of pain. It had taken all night for him to free himself but at least he had done it. Now the sun was barely starting to rise over the forest.

Arthur knew he had little time to get back to the castle before the dragons woke up. Once he was out of their presence he broke into a run. He had to warn others about the dragons so that they could take cover.

He had barely been running for ten minutes, when he heard a loud roar break through the forest. That alerted Arthur that Sadiq and Gupta were up and discovered that their prisoner was gone.

Arthur pushed himself to run faster but it didn't help. Moments later, the trees behind him came crashing down. A great dark brown dragon with white markings around its eyes appeared and growled menacingly at the retreating knight. Arthur could only guess that this dragon was Sadiq.

Sadiq flew forward knocking over everything in his path. Arthur leapt out of the way just in time; he stumbled slightly in the process but quickly regained his balance.

Arthur continued to run but looked over his shoulder to see where Sadiq went. While he was distracted, he didn't see the dragon's tail appear in front of him until it was too late. Sadiq's tail swung at the Knight causing him to fly back against a tree.

Arthur lost his breath at the impact. He gasped for air as Sadiq's dragon form crept towards him. A smirk was evident on the dragon's face.

"Tambula dasta!" Arthur shouted a spell at the dragon.

Sadiq thrashed his head back as long gashes appeared on the dragons snout. The dragon's mischievous eyes now shifted to look more angry and murderous.

"_**Shite**_…" Arthur thought as he bolted again. Now the dragon was even more upset with him!

Sadiq started breathing flames, setting fire to everything around him.

Heart racing, Arthur ran ahead of the flames. Just when the knight thought he was almost free, he ran into a dead end. A steep unclimbable rock cliff appeared in his path. Arthur had nowhere else to run. He turned around as he heard Sadiq coming closer.

Arthur backed up until his back was pressed against the cliff. He clung to the sapphire dragon scale around his neck for comfort. He feared that he would never see the beautiful blue dragon again. He closed his eyes tightly and whispered his dragon's name, "Alfred…"

* * *

The two dragons weren't quite halfway back to the kingdom when Alfred caught Arthur's scent. It was faint, which meant it was farther away, but it was there. And for some reason it sent that nagging feeling at the back of his mind to a frenzy. What had he been doing so far? It was a thick forested area, and not one that Arthur frequently visited.

He stopped midair, making Matthew stop as well, and he gazed intently in the direction the scent was coming from. Where...?

"Al? What's wrong?" The violet dragon asked with concern.

"Something's bothering me. You keep going to the kingdom. I'll be back later, but I feel like something is wrong and it involves Arthur." Alfred replied, an icy feeling of dread pooling in his stomach.

"Well, I would definitely look then," Matthew agreed softly, eyes showing his concern. "I will let the others know. Please be careful."

Alfred nodded, and within moments, was shooting off in the direction he'd caught the scent, diving into the trees where the scent was strongest.

_Please be okay._

* * *

Having nowhere else to run, Arthur braced himself as Sadiq surged through the trees. The dragon's paw slammed into Arthur's chest; pinning the knight to the wall. The force of such a strike left him breathless. Unable to draw air, Arthur gritted his teeth as his worst injuries throbbed with pain. His broken arm was failing him. There was absolutely no way he could fight back.

"S-Sadiq…" Arthur gasped as his good arm weakly tried to pry the dragon's paw off him. "You don't have to do this… Humans and dragons can live peacefully…"

Sadiq's snarling monstrous face leant close to his. The dragon's teeth bared and his lips curled back much like a wild dogs. Growling out from between his teeth, his voice inhumanly low and harsh, Sadiq replied, "None of us can live peacefully as long as you humans are around."

Arthur's eyes doubled in size as Sadiq drew his head up. Flames began to build up in the dragon's mouth as he prepared to burn the Knight alive.

Not knowing what else to do Arthur shouted a curse, "Lann Oighir!" Just as the flames leapt forward.

Arthur's curse and the flames clashed together. Sadiq's flames were strong… but Arthur's curse was much, **much** stronger. Ice enveloped the flames and froze them in place, but the curse didn't stop there. Shards of ice continued to grow, seeking to extinguish any source of heat.

Sadiq relinquished his hold on Arthur, causing the knight to fall into a heap on the ground. The dragon began thrashing about in pain as the shards of ice continued to grow and pierce him from the inside. A howl of fury and agony broke forth from his snarled lips.

Arthur looked up in horror at what his impulsive curse was doing to Sadiq.

The dragon was now clawing at his own throat, attempting to rip the ice out from inside him, but that was only causing him more pain.

Arthur came out of his shock and stumbled to his feet. He bolted forward and started to shout, "O-oh god! Sadiq… I'm sorry I d-didn't mean… Let me help you!" Arthur raised his good hand and motioned for the dragon to halt his thrashing, but Sadiq wouldn't stop.

"Sadiq! Stop moving!" Arthur ordered frantically. "If you don't let me reverse it you'll die!"

The dragon's flashing brown eyes held as much comprehension as a wild dog's. He scrambled back trying to avoid the knight.

"D-don't… touch m-me!" Sadiq's strangled voice sounded made it sound like his throat was made of large rocks that were grinding together. "I r… refuse to be… h-helped by th-the likes… of **_you_**!"

Sadiq attempted to let out another wail of agony, but his voice bubbled in his throat. He began spewing out blood and shards of ice from his lips.

Moments later, although it felt like a lifetime to Arthur as he still tried to assist the dragon, Sadiq slowly crumpled forward. The light in his flashing eyes began to fade and the dragon breathed no more.

"S-Sadiq?" Arthur held his breath as he approached the motionless creature. When he received no reply, the knight fell to his knees at the dragon's head.

So many emotions ran through Arthur as he stared in horror at the lifeless form in front of him.

'_I-I killed a dragon._' He thought numbly to himself. _'I killed one of the very creatures I've been trying to protect._' Arthur's heart clenched as the terrifying truth took hold of him.

'_I'm a murderer… I'm a monster!_' He bit his lip as tears brimmed his eyes. '_Now none of the dragons will trust us and Alfred… o-oh god,__**Alfred**__!… He'll hate me now too.'_

Arthur didn't bother to get up. His sorrow was too great. It weighed and anchored him down to the hard forest ground. Everything was ruined… and it was all his fault.

* * *

Alfred had traced the trail among the trees, no longer in dragon form (since he couldn't fly among so many trees), panic growing when he caught the scent of two dragons he didn't recognize. Why was Arthur with two dragons? Unknown ones at that? He wasn't stupid enough- unless he didn't know they were dragons!

He didn't have a sense of smell like Alfred did! If they had pretended to be human...

He bolted through the forest, heart pumping, chest heaving for breath as he ran. He just couldn't move fast enough! He could smell blood as he seemed to get closer, and though he could tell it wasn't Arthur's, his unease only grew.

What had happened to cause such a blood spill?

It was when he came across his Arthur that the dread grew to such a horrible size. Covered in blood and heavily injured, the knight was in horrible shape.

"Arthur...?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper. His eyes widened with horror when he took in the sight of the slain dragon, the ice crystals protruding like daggers. "Wh-what happened here?"

Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Alfred's voice. He was the last person the knight expected to see. He looked up at the dragon fearfully.

"A-Alfred…" the knight was at a loss for words. How could he possibly explain all of this to the dragon? He felt helpless at the look of horror on Alfred's face. "I-I didn't mean… It was an accide… I didn't know what to do… I…"

Arthur's words all jumbled together. He was unable to form a coherent sentence, as he was still trying to come over his shock. The tears finally began to spill over his eyes as he felt overwhelmed with everything that had just happened.

Alfred's horrified expression became one of great concern and he immediately hurried over to Arthur, pulling the smaller man close to his chest. "Arthur...hush. It's alright. I know you would never do this on purpose." He replied in a hushed voice, stroking his hair.

He lifted Arthur's face to look at him and was saddened to see him so injured. "What did they do to you?"

He'd failed. He said he'd protect Arthur before, keep him safe, and now his knight was so hurt in more ways than one. He couldn't even talk, he was so scared.

Tears stung his own eyes and he pressed a kiss to Arthur's forehead an then held him close again. "_I'm so sorry_," he apologized brokenly. "I'm so sorry, Arthur! I couldn't protect you when you needed me to and now you're hurt!"

Alfred looking broken and holding and kissing him slowly began to pull Arthur out of his shock. He took in a shuddering breath and clung to Alfred with his good arm.

He should have known that Alfred wouldn't be angry with him. He should have known that Alfred would be understanding and forgiving; even if the knight didn't deserve it. The dragon was even **apologizing** to him when it wasn't his fault.

"Don't be sorry." Arthur finally spoke weakly. "I was stupid enough to follow them. I should have known there was something off when…" Arthur broke off. He didn't want to tell Alfred exactly what Sadiq had done to him; in fear that it would only upset the dragon more.

"What did they do to you?" Alfred asked firmly, not letting the topic go. "Tell me Arthur."

Arthur gazed intently at the dragon in front of him. He knew Alfred would not let this go, so he relented.

"They were looking for a knight." He began shakily. "They weren't happy with the changes that have been happening and they wanted to let the kingdom know what they thought of us. So they captured me and… and were planning on executing me in front of everyone."

Alfred's despair melted away and burned like fire, becoming a fiery rage. "They what?!" He hissed, gritting his teeth.

It was very much like how he'd been hunted and nearly executed by the humans, and that made him furious.

_How dare they hurt Arthur!_

"A-Alfred calm down." Arthur quickly raised his hand to stroke the dragons cheek, hoping it would steady his oncoming rage. "Their plan didn't work. I escaped and I'm alive."

"It doesn't change what they did, Arthur!" Alfred snapped, blood boiling. Even small blue flames were starting to escape his mouth as he spoke. "If you hadn't stopped him, what would've happened? You would have **died,** Arthur. I wasn't there to stop them." His gaze hardened as his fury continued to build. "I almost lost you once again, and it's because someone dared to hurt you."

"But Alfred-!"

"Sadiq?!" A desolated cry cut off Arthur.

Gupta, who was wondering why it was taking Sadiq so long to bring back the human, had arrived to see what was left of his mate. He looked around with malicious eyes until his gaze fell upon Arthur.

"**_You_**!" He growled through bared teeth. "You did this!"

Alfred growled lowly in his throat at the newcomer, recognizing the dragon carried the same scent he'd smelled earlier.

His dragon features appeared and he bared his fangs warningly at Gupta. "You're one of the ones who hurt my Arthur..." He growled, moving into a crouched position, tensed to launch an attack at any given moment.

"Alfred…" Arthur spoke in a warning voice. He grabbed onto the hem of the dragon's shirt hoping to prevent him from doing something he would regret.

"_Your_ Arthur?" Gupta repeated with a raised eyebrow. The malice in his eyes did not fade away as he also crouched; ready to fight. "You keep a filthy human around as a **pet**?!" His eyes suddenly shined mischievously like he was planning something.

"Alfred, ignore him." Arthur pleaded. He didn't like the look in the others eyes. "Let's get back to Hetalia. We need to report what's happened to the King."

"Yes, _Alfred_." Gupta taunted his draconian features beginning to reveal themselves. "Listen to the human. Be the weakling you are and don't try to avenge your possessions."

"He's not a pet!" Alfred snarled furiously, completely ignoring Arthur's pleas for him to calm down. "He's my lover and he's not my property! He's on equal standing with me so don't you dare treat him like he's some kind of object!"

He was beginning to lose all sense of rational thoughts, eyes focusing on his enemy, watching for every move made by the opposing dragon.

"You speak as if you _care_ about it." Gupta smirked evilly. "But if you really did love it, then you wouldn't have let the human fall into our hands… where it could easily be bruised and broken."

Those lines broke every last bit of sensibility Alfred had. He lunged at the dragon with a shout of rage and sent both of them to the ground; a flurry of scales and claws and fangs.

Arthur instantly ran forward. He feared that Alfred would get hurt or worse. He tried calling out the dragon's name, trying to urge him to stop.

Alfred didn't hear, or rather **couldn't**, hear his name being called. He could only feel the rage in him. He could only hear the pounding if his blood in his veins. He was in such a rage that he couldn't even tell that his foe wasn't even fighting back much at all.

Arthur didn't know why Gupta wasn't fighting back, but it only worried him more. Arthur placed a hand on Alfred trying to get the dragons attention. "Alfred **STOP**!" He shouted as loudly as he could.

Alfred, without thinking, smacked the hand away harshly and then froze. Slowly, he started to gain his consciousness back and it only made him terrified. He gasped and his eyes widened as he tore away from the heavily injured Gupta.

He could see the deep slashes and cuts that littered the other, and he started to tremble at the sight. What had he done?

He'd let the blood go to his head and had attacked without even thinking, too enraged by the taunting. He'd even hit...

The blue dragon looked at Arthur with a traumatized expression. _He'd hit Arthur._

Arthur flinched when he was hit by Alfred, but it did not deter his concern for his lover. He approached Alfred carefully, ignoring the injured dragon.

"A-Alfred… are you alright." He spoke carefully.

He trembled more; he could feel his fear building up as his mind reeled. He fell to his knees, unable to stand any longer, and shook his lowered head. No, he was not alright. So many things were wrong.

They weren't supposed to be. Everything was supposed to be okay now! So why?

Those blue eyes full of dread, caught Arthur off guard. It was not a look the knight was used to seeing. He lowered himself to the ground so that he was at the same level as Alfred. As weak as his arms were, Arthur tried as best as he could to wrap them around Alfred and pressed his face into the crook of the dragon's neck.

"Alfred, try and talk to me." Arthur's voice was low, soft and somewhat broken with sorrow at the lost expression on the dragon's face.

Gupta rose shakily to his feet. Although he looked terribly maimed, he still kept that evil smirk on his face. "Maybe the day of living in unity with each other isn't as close as you thought it was. I'll make sure that you both pay direly for your actions."

Without another word, Gupta left. Leaving Alfred and Arthur alone once again. Fear seeped inside the knight but he pushed it aside.

"Don't listen to what he said." Arthur returned his attention back to the distraught dragon in his hold. "We'll be fine…"

_I'll make sure that you both pay direly for your actions._

Alfred paled, not hearing what Arthur was saying, not feeling the embrace around him. What had he done? _What had he done?!_

He'd just made everything worse. What if he had just ruined their chances at making everything right? What if a war was started because of him? Gupta was obviously set on starting up something.

_Maybe the day of living in unity with each other isn't as close as you thought it was._

Why'd it have to be this way? We're those words true? But they'd been through so much to get this far!

"Don't listen to what he said."

_I can't ignore this!_

"We'll be fine…"

_No...everything is going wrong._

* * *

Gupta fled through the forest, his anger fueling him to move fast. The human's face was burned into his mind.

How dare that creature kill his mate! How dare it have the audacity to speak of peace and commit murder! They should have killed the thing while they had the chance… well, there was more than one way to have a human executed.

He and Sadiq had been studying the humans for a long time. So, he knew exactly how they punished their law breakers.

'_Let's see how seriously they treat this new law of theirs._' Gupta thought to himself. As he approached the grand Castle. '_Let's see what sort of punishment they have in store for someone who killed an innocent dragon and wounded it's mate in cold blood._'

* * *

"Alfred… Alfred please talk to me." The knight pleaded again. His concern for the dragon was growing. Alfred just sat their unmoving for the longest time with a look of complete shock and devastation. It made Arthur feel uneasy and scared.

Still gaining no reply Arthur tried a different approach. He grabbed a fistful of the dragon's shirt and began shaking him harshly. "Alfred! Snap out of it!"

Alfred blinked and looked at Arthur. Recognition and awareness slowly started coming back into his eyes. He slipped his hands over Arthur's and gripped them tightly, though he still trembled.

"I really screwed up..." He forced out, voice strained. "Arthur, I'm so sorry."

"No, stop apologizing." Arthur said firmly. His own shock was completely gone now. It was replaced with a desire to make sure Alfred stayed calm and in control. "None of this is your fault. He shouldn't have provoked you like that."

"But I let him provoke me! If I hadn't listened to him, this wouldn't have happened! But I did, so now... So now we're in very bad trouble." Alfred protested, bowing his head. "I've screwed up horribly..."

"You don't know that for sure." Arthur argued. "We can explain what happened… I won't let any trouble befall you."

Alfred stilled and smiled weakly at Arthur. "I guess you're saving me this time, huh?" He asked softly.

He glanced again over Arthur's injuries. "We need to get you taken care of for now, though. At least get you cleaned up." He brushed Arthur's face softly, careful not to aggravate any wounds. "I wish I could have gotten to you sooner so you wouldn't have been hurt..."

Arthur returned Alfred's weak smile and leaned into his touch. "I'll be fine, love. I'm just glad your back safely from your trip."

Arthur took hold of Alfred's hand and stood up. "Now lets start heading back, and get this whole mess settled."

Alfred nodded and shifted to his dragon form before lowering himself to the ground for Arthur to climb up. "You do realize I'm never letting you leave my sight again, right?" He asked, standing as soon as Arthur was safely settled.

Arthur pursed his lips as he awkwardly climbed onto Alfred's back using one arm. "I swear I haven't always been this danger prone."

Alfred snorted. "Somehow I find that hard to believe right now," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, shut up and get to flying." Arthur said without any malice. His cheeks were tinted pink in embarrassment.

"Yes, your majesty," Alfred replied sarcastically. He flapped his wings and sent them into the air.

When they were high enough in the air, he let himself glide on the winds' paths.

"Arthur...thank you, for calming me down and being patient with me..." He said after what felt like a long silence. "I was going to snap back there, like **really** snap...I don't think I would've stopped if you hadn't made me...You don't have to reply; I just wanted to say that."

Arthur smiled. How could he _not_ reply to something like that? The knight leant down to place a kiss on the dragon's neck and stroked those beautiful scales. "You're welcome, love… and thank you for being my hero."

* * *

The King waited outside the castle with his guards for Arthur to return.

'_Maybe there's been some kind of mistake._' He thought to himself. '_It couldn't possibly be Arthur who killed this dragon's mate._' The King tried to convince himself… but there was no denying the distraught dragon's description of his attacker. Messy blond hair, green eyes, bushy eyebrows, and dressed in knights armor. The description fit Arthur perfectly. Roderich looked over at the injured dragon.

The dragon's face was tear stained and miserable looking. He had come running into the castle begging for help. The dragon told them of how he and his mate had been curious of the human's new set of dragon friendly laws and had come to investigate. But they were stopped by a knight who began attacking them. He tried to fight back but the human killed his mate and he had barely escaped with his own life.

King Roderich wondered why Arthur would do such a thing. It didn't sound like the knight at all, but if the knight really did kill this dragon's mate he couldn't be lenient. Arthur knew what his punishment would be if he took another's life… A life for a life. That was the rule in their Kingdom.

Roderich shivered. He hoped this dragon was wrong. He didn't know what the consequences would be if the dragon elders discovered that another one of their kind was killed by a human. But not just any human. One of the very humans that was supposedly fighting for their cause…

* * *

**Oh no! What's going to happen to Arthur?! You'll all just have to find out next chapter~. ;D**

**Please leave us a review to let us know what you think. Reviews are very much appreciated by Yamiyo and me.**

**If you like Scálaí then be sure to read it's companion story L'erede del Drago. It's a spamano fic by me and Yamiyo.**

**And don't forget to check out Yamiyo's others stories! The link to her FF is on my profile.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry this chapter came out so late DX **

**ItalianCrybaby: Arthur, Gupta, Roderich**

**Yamiyodarknight: Alfred, Matthew**

**Hope you enjoy n_n**

* * *

Alfred landed in the gardens; where he usually did when they had to be at the kingdom. But what startled him was the fact that Matthew was already there waiting for him and his brother looked extremely worried.

"Matthew?"

"A-Alfred! What the hell is going on?!" Matthew demanded, running up to them.

Alfred frowned. What did he mean?

"There's so many rumors flying around that Arthur killed a dragon and attacked his mate!" Matthew exclaimed, panicking. "But I know he wouldn't do that! What's going on?!"

Arthur became completely still at Matthew's news. The King already knew about the dragon? How had he found out so quickly?! They had just gotten here! …Was Gupta behind this?

Fear settled in the knight's stomach. "I…" Arthur hesitated. He felt sick to his stomach trying to explain this to Matthew. "Matthew I swear, it was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen."

Matthew paled, but the color and back into his face and he stepped over to Arthur, helping him off of his brother's back. "Well, then something serious had to have happened for you to come to that." He pulled Arthur in for a hug. "I know you would never willingly do something like that. It's alright. I'll stay by your side along with Alfred."

The violet dragon pulled away and squeezed Arthur's shoulder. "I'm sure that we can think of a way to get you out of this."

Alfred changed back to his human form and stepped over to the other two. "Arthur wasn't the only one involved though."

Matthew stared at him, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"I was the one who attacked that dragon's mate."

"But that wasn't entirely Alfred's fault." Arthur cut in. "Gupta, the dragon that is, kept provoking him."

Matthew frowned and his brows furrowed. "That's...that's not what anyone was told here." He crossed his arms. "We were all told it was only your doing. There was no mention of Alfred."

"Well, it wasn't. And even if it had been, it doesn't change the fact that he acted in selfdefense!" Alfred snapped. He grit his teeth and then sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm still very-"

"Upset and worked up, I can tell." Matthew said, finishing Alfred's sentence.

Arthur gave Alfred a one armed hug, his other was still quite useless, and questioned Matthew, "Where's the King? We have to explain what happened before any more rumors pop up."

"Rumors are flying around faster than you can even blink so it's a bit late for that." Matthew sighed. "But I know he's in quite a serious meeting with the council right now. He seems just as worried about this matter as you do. I can take you to him, so just follow me."

Alfred scooped Arthur into his arms, ignoring protests, and nodded at his brother. "Lead the way."

Matthew nodded and turned before walking ahead.

"Honestly, Alfred! It's my arm that's broken, not my legs. I can walk just fine!" Arthur argued as Matthew led them into the castle

"Yes, well, you're injured enough," Alfred retorted. "I'm not letting you go."

"Honestly Arthur. You should know how stubborn he is by now," Matthew called back to them, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. "Whatever he wants to do, he's gonna do it."

Arthur was about to retort back with something along the lines of "_I can be quite stubborn myself._" But was prevented from doing so when a distressed voice called out…

"That's him! That's the knight that killed my mate!"

Arthur turned his head quickly to find Gupta, looking heavily injured and distraught, standing next to the King.

"Kirkland." The King approached the three that had just entered the room. He looked worried for a moment when he saw Arthur's condition but quickly regained his professional appearance. "This dragon is accusing you of attacking him and killing his mate. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Alfred snarled at Gupta, eyes narrowing at the dragon, but then reluctantly turned his angry gaze to Roderich. "We'd be more than happy to tell you, but I don't want **him**anywhere near us otherwise you're going to have another dead dragon in your hands," he hissed.

Matthew frowned and bowed at Roderich apologetically. "I'm sorry. There was apparently a lot that went on and I think it's best if you do as he says. He's not in the best mood right now."

"Why should I have to leave?!" Gupta asked frantically. "It's not fair for you to make me leave. I should be allowed to stay here and defend my fallen mate! Are you trying to give some sort of special treatment for your knight?"

"Under these circumstances, I think it would be best if you waited outside." King Roderich advised the dragon.

All pretenses of being tormented left Gupta's features at the King's words. His look hardened as he spoke. "No! I refuse to leave! I shouldn't **have** to leave. That knight is a murderer! I demand that you ask him right now whether or not he killed my mate!"

"Silence!" Roderich ordered angrily. "You have no right to speak to a King so disrespectfully."

Gupta clamped his mouth shut, but his hardened look did not waver.

Roderich turned his attention back to Arthur. "Kirkland… is it true that you killed this dragon's mate?" He questioned seriously.

Arthur shook slightly, but he tried his best to remain calm as he answered, "Yes… it's true. But please let me explain. It was an accident and it was only done in self def-"

"I told you he did it!" Gupta quickly cut in. "He just admitted it! He killed my mate and mercilessly attacked me! What are you going to do to punish him?!"

Before Roderich could answer, Alfred set Arthur down on his feet and stalked over to Gupta, grabbing him by the throat, smashing him into the wall next to him. "You will hold your tongue while he speaks," he snarled, eyes flashing a warning. "I've already had enough of you. You keep your mouth shut otherwise I can guarantee that _this time_ I **will **kill you."

Gupta gave Alfred a murderous look as he struggled against his hold; but there was obvious fear lurking behind his daunting gaze.

Alfred's eyes, now an icy blue, turned to gaze at Roderich coldly. "Arthur attacked and killed his mate in self defense, but I attacked this lying snake myself. If you had looked at his injuries, you would have noticed claw marks, not the cuts of a sword. They were my doing and mine alone."

Roderich looked at the dragon struggling against Alfred's hold and deemed his words to be true.

"It seems that you were not completely truthful." The King stared coldly. "I don't have any authority over what your punishment should be, so I'll let your Elders decide your fate when they arrive. Until then… guards!" The King motioned for two of his guards to come forward. "Lock this dragon in the dungeons."

Arthur let out a small sigh of relief when the guards took the protesting dragon out of Alfred's grasp and carried him out of sight. At least Gupta wouldn't be hurting anyone else.

Alfred remained frowning, watching as the dragon was carried away struggling. He felt like Gupta was getting off so easily. He wanted to kill the dragon and deal with the consequences later. At least then there would be one less dangerous dragon for them to deal with.

"Calm down, Al," Matthew scolded. "Getting riled up will get you nowhere."

Alfred glared at his brother darkly, making him flinch.

Arthur put a comforting hand on the dragon's shoulder. "He's right, Alfred. Just calm down. Everything will be fine now."

"… I wouldn't be so sure about that." The King spoke gravely.

Arthur returned his attention back to the King. "What do you mean?"

The King looked hesitant before answering, " It might have been in self defense, but the fact still remains that you killed a dragon when it is now strictly against the law… Arthur, you know what the punishment is for taking another life."

Alfred started to growl again, and the sharp gaze trained on the king. "So even self defense is inexcusable?" He hissed.

"Al..." Matthew called warningly.

"If you're going to punish him, then you might as well punish me too!" Alfred snapped, turning on the king. "If he hadn't killed him, then I would have! He stopped me from killing that other bastard too! If he hadn't, there would have been **two** dead dragons, not one!"

He stepped protectively in front of Arthur, fangs bared. "If it can't be prevented, then I will go through it with him!"

"Alfred! Stop being absurd!" Arthur grabbed hold of the dragon and forced Alfred to face him. He looked at the dragon sternly. "You will **not** throw your life away for _my_ mistakes!"

"I'm not being absurd! You can't tell me you wouldn't be sayin the same things I am if you were in my spot!" Alfred retorted. "I'm sticking by you and going through what you are, and that's that!"

"Will you both stop being so dramatic?!" Roderich cut in. "I never said Arthur would be given the death penalty. I was just reminding him of how serious his crime is." He said exasperatedly. "He, of course, will still need to be punished. It just won't be as serious under the circumstances. We will discuss all of that later… for now you two should take Arthur and mend him up."

Alfred continued to frown and glared at Roderich. "I don't care. You still know that I also attacked another dragon. I don't care if I am one. If Arthur's being punished then you might as well punish me too."

"It's not my place to punish you Alfred." Roderich insisted sternly. "We are walking on eggshells trying to keep a good relationship with your people. I can't go ordering you around the way I see fit. I need to leave that to your Elders."

Alfred scowled and looked away bitterly, knowing he couldn't argue with that.

Why couldn't he seem to do anything right?

"Now I won't tell you again." Roderich dictated. "Go get Arthur cleaned up before I change my mind about being so lenient on you… I should be throwing both of you in the dungeon for what you've done. Until I've spoken with the court, you will both have to remain on castle grounds."

Arthur nodded in understanding. He gently took hold of Alfred's hand and muttered, "Come on, Alfred. Lets go."

Alfred glared at Roderich again, but stalked away with Arthur behind him, hissing quietly to himself.

Matthew watched with concern until they left before glancing at the king. "I, uh, should warn you. When he gets like this, he isn't easy to deal with. I'd word whatever you say very carefully otherwise you'll make him into an enemy and I don't really think you'd want that."

He paused and brushed some of his hair back over his shoulder. "I'm not threatening you by any means. Just warning you for your own sake. His rage isn't one that can be stopped so easily." His eyes grew solemn. "If you thought I was bad when the hatchling was killed, you would never understand exactly how dangerous Alfred can be."

Roderich's expression stayed solemn. "Thank you for the warning, Matthew. I appreciate it."

The King looked in deep thought as he stared at the door Alfred and Arthur had just left through. He gave a deep sigh and turned back to the dragon. "Matthew, I'd hate to ask this of you when you've just barely returned… but is it possible for you to notify your Elder's of what's happened here? I would like them to be prepared to help us get a better handle on this situation when they arrive."

Matthew nodded obediently. "I can do it. If there's something I can do to help, then I will do it. But I would also warn you to keep an eye on that dragon. He may be weakened now, but even a weak dragon is stronger than a human."

"Understood. I'll station my strongest mages to keep watch over him." Roderich answered. "You should stay and rest for a while before you go out again."

Matthew smiled. "Thank you. I shall let you know when I am leaving ahead of time." He bowed and trotted off.

* * *

"Do it Alfred!" Arthur gasped.

"A-are you sure? I don't want to hurt you, Artie." Alfred spoke worriedly.

"Alfred, I _need_ this so just do it!"

"But, Artie…"

"If you won't do it then I'll just call in someone else who will."

"What?! No! I'm not gonna let anyone else touch you like this!"

"Then suck it up and do it already!"

Arthur gritted his teeth as Alfred finally relented and re-broke the knight's arm. He gave a small yelp as the dragon did so, but it needed to be done. His arm was broken in an awkward position so they needed to re-break it before they could set the arm properly.

"Jeez, I can't believe you would ask me to actually hurt you!" Alfred complained, making a makeshift sling for Arthur's broken arm. "You know I don't like you being hurt!" He slipped the sling into place and carefully set the knight's arm in it. "I especially don't like being the cause of it!"

"Would you rather have me unable to use that arm properly for the rest of my life?" Arthur said through clenched teeth as the pain slowly began to fade. He took a deep breath before speaking normally again. "Besides, I knew you weren't going to let someone else do it; that's why I asked _you_."

Alfred pouted and crossed his arms, looking quite like a sulking child. "I know I know. I just don't like you being hurt."

"I know, love." Arthur leant forward an placed a quick kiss on the dragon's cheek. "Thank you for doing it though. It feels much better than it did before."

Alfred grumbled his reply, though his cheeks reddened slightly at the kiss. "As long as you heal."

Arthur gave Alfred a strained smile. He knew the dragon was still very very upset with what had happened, and he didn't know how to handle it. "Alfred… I know you're still mad but will you try to relax now? It's not good for you to be doing this to yourself."

"How can I relax with all the things that are happening?!" Alfred snapped, bristling. "Finally, when I think everything is going right, something always happens for the worst and**we** always end up taking the brunt of it! You've almost died twice, Arthur. **Twice**! That's two times too many in my opinion, and who knows what else could happen from now on!"

"We just need to be more cautious." Arthur replied uneasily. It worried him to see the dragon bristling up again. "I don't know why these things always happening, but we can't let it get to us. The King is already being lenient, so I think it's safe to assume that he will try his best to defend us. For now, we need to keep a calm head on our shoulders."

Alfred shook his head, eyes showing his disbelief. He leaned his head against Arthur's shoulder and closed his eyes. "I'm just so angry about all these things. I hate seeing you injured and near death. It's like I can't even look away without something happening to you." He wrapped his arms around the knight's torso, nuzzling against the blonde's neck. "That's why I don't want to leave you alone anymore."

"I'm not _that_ fragile, Alfred." Arthur tried to sound resentful but ended up sounding soft as he rested his head against Alfred's. "Not that I don't want you by my side all the time… I just want to let you know that it will take a lot to bring take me down."

"Well, that 'lot' has been happening quite often, don't you think?" Alfred retorted weakly, gripping Arthur tighter.

"I'm still alive aren't I?" Arthur answered back. He took hold of Alfred's chin to lift his face to his own. He stared intently into Alfred's eyes. "I'm not going to leave you so soon."

"It had better stay that way, otherwise I'm not sure what exactly might happen," Alfred mumbled staring back at Arthur sadly.

Arthur felt lost in Alfred's gaze. He didn't know what else to say. So he let his actions speak for him. He closed the distance between them and kissed the dragon deeply with a bitter sweet longing kiss._ I won't leave you._

Alfred kissed back solemnly, pressing Arthur onto his back on the bed before pulling away. "No more getting yourself hurt, alright?"

Arthur huffed at that but brought his hand up to stroke Alfred's face lovingly. "I won't get hurt… How many times do I have to tell you before you believe me?"

"Enough times until it stops happening," Alfred huffed back, brows furrowing. "But you need to get some rest, so go to sleep Artie." He stroked Arthur's hair with a soft sigh. "You're going to need as much as you can get."

* * *

"Arthur Kirkland, you are here for your crime of killing a dragon while it is against the law to do so. Although your crime is punishable by death, the court finds this to be too harsh a punishment seeing as you were acting on self defense. So instead, the court has decided that your title will be revoked." Roderich announced in finality.

Arthur, who was standing before the King and the members of his court, slumped his shoulders. He felt crushed that his title as knight was revoked once again, this time permanently… but at least his sentence wasn't death.

Alfred squirmed in his seat, anxious to jump out and scream his protests. _It was selfdefense so why is Arthur being punished for it?! Why is he being hurt for something he had no control over?!_

Arthur's saddened look frustrated him. He couldn't even help with this.

_Why am I so useless?!_

He was grateful that Arthur would not be killed, but...it was like they were taking his life away. Being a knight was what he did! What was he supposed to do now?

A flurry of apologies flew to his mind that he wanted to say to Arthur. But he knew that the replies would be for him not to apologize. But he wanted so badly to. He couldn't help it.

Arthur bowed to the court as he was dismissed. Without making eye contact with anyone else, he fled the room. He didn't even think to wait for Alfred. He just walked out, then ran once he was out of sight.

Arthur was greatly saddened that he could no longer be a knight. It was something he strived his entire life to do perfectly. It was something he was proud to be, and now that was gone.

The former knight stopped running, when he had reached the castle gardens. There sat down feeling miserable about the courts decision.

Alfred felt his heart clench when he saw Arthur flee the room. The dragon knew it had bothered him to have such a sentence, and just as well had probably disgrace him.

He stood, completely blowing off any calls for him to stay behind. He'd been questioned as well, seeing as he'd attacked Gupta which made him largely involved with what had happened. But that didn't matter. All he wanted was to comfort his hurt lover.

It was easy to guess where he would be hiding. The garden was a place he knew they both liked since it was quiet and calming.

"Arthur," he called softly, stepping over slowly to the man. He stopped just behind the blonde and got to his knees before hugging him from behind. "Arthur, I'm sorry."

He couldn't think of anything else to say. They'd all probably just make it worse.

Arthur jumped slightly, for he did not hear anyone approach him, but he relaxed once he realized it was Alfred.

He placed a hand on top of Alfred's and smiled weakly. "You don't have to be sorry… it's my own ruddy fault that this happened. I should never have followed those dragons."

"It's **not** your fault!" Alfred protested firmly, squeezing tighter. "You didn't know! You were going to help someone you thought needed it, and you were betrayed. They tried to kill you and you didn't even intend to kill or fight back! It's not fair to you!"

Tears spilled over his eyes and he felt so horrible for letting his knight down once again. "It's not fair, Arthur! I hate it!"

Arthur turned himself around so that he was facing Alfred. He wiped away the dragon's tears and spoke softly. "I know it doesn't seem fair, but we shouldn't let it upset us. At least we have each other, right?"

Alfred didn't reply, instead choosing to bury his face against Arthur's shoulder. He felt extremely embarrassed. He'd come here to comfort his lover, but he was the one being comforted instead.

"Arthur," he mumbled, "I think we should get out of here for now." He looked up. "Since everything is over with for now, I think we should distance ourselves at least until Mattie gets back with the Elders."

Arthur looked at the dragon quizzically, "But where would we go?"

Alfred raised a brow incredulously. "What do you mean 'where'? I have a home, remember?"

"O-of course I remember!" Arthur stuttered as he turned red in embarrassment. "I-I just thought… that is… You made it sound like we were running far away or something like that." Arthur finished lamely, feeling ridiculous.

"No..." Alfred shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you like that. It's just that I'm...really kinda pissed at everyone right now, and I'm sure you're not too keen on everyone bothering you right now, right?"

He stood up and offered Arthur his hand, gaze becoming more pleading. "I want you all to myself right now, where no one will bother us. I want peace of mind that, at least for now, nothing bad will happen to you."

Arthur stared at Alfred's hand for a moment. He pondered over whether it was a good idea for them to run away from their problems… but then again it wasn't really running away. It was spending some much needed alone time with his dragon while things calmed down.

He took hold of Alfred's offered hand and stood up. "All right… lets get out of here."

Alfred smiled, letting go of Arthur's hand before shifting to his dragon form. "Yeah, let's ditch this place and go home. I don't think Roderich will like it too much if I were to burn the place down..." He snorted and nudged the man's chest with his snout.

"Roderich wouldn't be the only one displeased if you burned this place down."Arthur chuckled as he playfully swatted the dragon' snout. He then moved to climb on Alfred's back.

"Hey, I'd at least leave the gardens alone. They're too pretty to burn," Alfred retorted, helping Arthur onto his back. "I like flowers too much to burn them." He stood and stretched his wings out before flapping them to get back into the air.

"If you're still tired, you can relax. I won't let you fall," the dragon commented, gliding on soft winds as the rose higher up. "I'd never let you fall."

"I know you won't, love." Arthur grinned as they flew high into the sky.

All those other times he flew with Alfred, they had been on some important chore or mission. Now, he felt like they were flying just for the enjoyment of it… and that left Arthur feeling wonderfully carefree.

"I think I've rested enough. I just want to spend my time with you." He sighed happily as he took in the beautiful scenery.

"Trust me, you're not going anywhere without me," Alfred replied, grinning snidely. "I'm not letting you go for a long time."

* * *

**Thank you for reading this chapter.**

***Spoiler for L'erede if you haven't read it!***

**Last chapter The Elders were really close to ever try making peace with the humans! But~, a certain love struck dragon convinced his grandfather to change his mind ;D**

***End Spoiler***

**Leave a review to let us know what you think of the story n_n**


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